[Ill.u.s.tration: Compony]

Ex. Argent, an inescutcheon azure, border compony, or and gules.

CONJOINED. Joined together.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Conjoined]

Ex. Argent, three legs armed, conjoined at the fess point at the upper extremity of the thigh, flexed in a triangle, garnished and spurred, or.

CONY. An heraldic name for a young rabbit.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Cony]

COTICE. One of the diminutives of the bend: cotices are generally borne on each side of the bend.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Cotice]

Ex. Gules, a bend argent, coticed of the same.

The cotices are frequently of a different tincture from the bend they cotice.

COUCHANT. The French word for lying down with the breast towards the earth, and the head raised. See LION COUCHANT.

COUNT. A n.o.bleman that was deputed by the king to govern a county or shire: the t.i.tle is not used in the British Peerage; his rank is equal to an earl.

COUNTER. In Heraldry implies contrariety, as in the following examples:--

COUNTER-CHANGED. The intermixture of metal with colours opposed to each other.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Counter-changed]

Ex. Per pale, or and azure, on a chevron, three mullets all counter-changed.

COUNTER SALIENT. Two animals leaping different ways from each other.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Counter salient]

Ex. Argent, two foxes counter salient.

COUNTER Pa.s.sANT. Two animals pa.s.sing the contrary way to each other.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Counter pa.s.sant]

Ex. Or, two lions pa.s.sant counter pa.s.sant gules, the uppermost facing the sinister side of the escutcheon, both collared sable, garnished argent.

COUNTER FLORY. Any ordinary ornamented with fleurs-de-luce: the points of the flowers run alternately in a contrary direction.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Counter flory]

Ex. Or, a pale purpure, flory and counter flory gules.

COUPED. From the French word _couper_, to cut. The cross in the example is couped, part of it being cut off, so as not to touch the edges of the shield.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Couped]

Ex. Azure, a cross couped argent.

COUPED. The head or limbs of any animal cut close is called couped.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Couped]

Ex. Argent, a boar's head proper couped.

COUPLE-CLOSE. One of the diminutives of the chevron, half the size of the chevronel.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Couple-close]

Ex. Argent, three couple-closes interlaced vert.

COURANT. Running.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Courant]

Ex. Argent, a stag proper courant.

CRENELLE. The French heraldic term for embattled. See EMBATTLED.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Crenelle]

CRESCENT. The half moon with its horns turned upwards.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Crescent]

Ex. Azure, a crescent argent.

CREST. The ornament on the upper part of the helmet in Heraldry placed over coats of arms, either with or without the helmet. By referring to the t.i.tle-page of this work the crests of Great Britain will be found with all the adornments of regal helmets.

The English crest is a crown surmounted by a lion statant guardant crowned, or.

The Scottish crest is an imperial crown, surmounted by a lion sejant guardant, displaying two sceptres or.

The Irish crest is an ancient diadem surmounted by an embattled tower, a stag courant issuing from the portal.

The crest of Wales is a dragon pa.s.sant guardant, gules.--The whole of these crests, with mantlings, &c., are emblazoned on the t.i.tle-page of this Manual.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Crest]

Crests are usually displayed upon a wreath as in the annexed example, which is a demi-lion rampant. If a crest this size had been placed upon an helmet of proportionate size it must have occupied a sixth part of this page, and the shield containing the arms to be in proportion considerably larger: in showing the crest without the helmet proportion is of little consequence. See HELMET, WREATH, and MANTLING.