[ANSTHRLD] Monkeys!!!

[Tim McDaniel]

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008, Annwn Shona <lady.annwn at gmail.com> wrote:
> Oh! Ok, another question: I've been told that 'proper' is no longer
> being used?

May I ask who told you?  Because they need to be corrected as well.

In general, "proper" is fine, assuming no other rules violations
(e.g., no polar bears proper on argent).  We also allow "brown
<animal> proper" to refer to an animal that's all brown.  There's at
least one limitation, as cited in the April 1991 LoAR Cover Letter:

     PRECEDENT: The College of Arms will no longer register flora and
     fauna in their natural "proper" tinctures if to do so they require
     the Linnaean genus and species. Proper is allowed for natural
     flora and fauna where there is a widely understood default
     coloration for the charge so specified.

     My rule of thumb here is that if you have to look it up in a book,
     it is excessive. An elephant "proper" most everyone knows - it's
     basically gray, as is a natural dolphin proper. A brown bear
     proper or a brown horse proper, no problem. Natural tigers, trees,
     zebras, bald eagles, blackberry vinev, and such-like may be
     registered as "proper". ...

(I'm not sure about Bengal tigers proper, but I haven't the time to
look it up.)

> Can I do the quill thing as well?

If you mean a spool used for embroidery: "quill".
If you mean a trimmed feather used for writing: "quill pen".

Daniel Lindum Colonia
-- 
Tim McDaniel, tmcd at panix.com