ANSTHRLD - Catamount

[tmcd at jump.net]

(Copies to Star and Bordure, because it's in their bailiwicks.)

On Thu, 16 Sep 1999 dssweet at okstate.edu wrote:
> Help!  I have a question regarding catamounts. Do they have an
> understood/default color?
> 
> I ask this because while in the midst of making banners for all the
> Mooneschadowe Guardians & their Queens of Grace & Wisdom, I made
> Countess Catriona's, with a green catamount, not sable as she says
> it is.  I pulled the device description straight off the armorial
> web pages:
> 
>      Argent, a catamount passant regardant and in base three
> shamrocks all within a bordure embattled vert.

Offhand, I cannot think of any heraldic thing with a fixed unchangable
color, except for, arguably,
- - the special roundel names.
- - the gouts, but I could argue that "de poix", "d'huile", et al, can
  be considered special tincture names for just that charge.
- - Ermine, erminois, pean, counter-ermine, vair.
Even if I missed a few, it certainly doesn't include animals.  Even
if it has only one color in nature and you want it, you have to say
"proper" to get it.

If you leave off a tincture for a charge, it is indeed assumed that
the next tincture mentioned is the tincture for the charge, so you
indeed rendered the blazon correctly.  You indeed have the listed
blazon: it's in the Armorial that way, and in an electronic copy of
the LoAR.  (I don't have paper LoARs for that year.)

The problem is that both Kingdom and Laurel apparently screwed up.
Her submission is item 13 in the November 1993 Ansteorran Gazette
(page 7, bottom of column 1).

    Katrionna Heather MacLoclainn. ... Argent, a catamount passant
    regardant in base three shamrocks within a bordure embattled vert.
    Note: The panther is sable.

However, in the acceptance in the 2/94 AG (page 8, column 1), the name
has only been corrected to the final version, and the blazon was not
fixed to add the "sable" (it only changed to "and in base" and "all
within").  Nor did Laurel catch it by looking at the form at
registration time, but took the LoI's form.

Error processing is covered in Admin Handbook VI.

     A. Blazon and Spelling Corrections may be requested if an error
     derives from a typographical error or omission in a Letter of
     Acceptance and Return and/or the Armorial and Ordinary.

          1. Corrections to a Letter of Acceptance and Return must be
          requested in writing to Laurel, clearly indicating the
          specific error or omission and the Letter of Acceptance and
          Return on which the error occurred. Requests for correction
          should not be included on letters of intent or letters of
          commentary and need not be circulated to the membership of
          the College of Arms prior to action. Such requests may be
          made by any member of the College of Arms.

          ...

     B. Blazon and Spelling Changes must be requested if the error
     derives from an error on a Letter of Intent. Such changes should
     be included on a Letter of Intent for the consideration of the
     College of Arms just as if the submitter were in fact requesting
     a specific change to the name or armory.

I am uncertain what to do, because the error occured both on an LoI
and on an LoAR.  I suspect it's treated as an LoAR error -- that is,
don't put it on an LoI.  The reason is that the emblazon is
registered, so now it is grandfathered to Catriona, so the College of
Arms couldn't suggest anything but the exact form of the blazon, which
they couldn't do without the colored forms.

I'd definitely e-mail Laurel, though.

Daniel "it's black, but comely" de Lincolia
- -- 
                   *** NEW HOME E-MAIL ADDRESS ***
Tim McDaniel (home); Reply-To: tmcd at jump.net; 
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