in zoology. See MUSTELA.

heraldry, is always argent and sable, that is, a white field, or fur, with black spots. These spots are not of any determinate number, but may be more or less, at the pleasure of the painter, as the skins are thought not to be naturally so spotted; but serving for lining the garments of great persons, the furriers were wont, in order to add to their beauty, to sew bits of the black tails of the creatures that produced them, upon the white of their skin, to render them the more conspicuous, which alteration was introduced into armory. See Plate LXXIV. fig. 7.

Ears of corn, an order of knights in France, instituted by Francis the last of that name, duke of Britany.

This order was so called on account that the collar of it was made up of ears of corn, lying athwart one another in saltier, bound together, both above and below, each ear being crooked twice, the whole of gold. To this collar there hung a little white beast, called an ermin, running over a bank of grass diversified with flowers.

ERMINÉ, or Cross ermine', is one composed of four ermin spots, placed as represented in Plate LXXIV. fig. 8.

It is to be observed, that the colours in these arms are not to be expressed, because neither this cross nor these arms can be of any other colour but white and black.

ERMINITES should signify little ermines, but it is otherwise; for it expresses a white field powdered with black, only that every such spot hath a little red hair on each.

Erminites also signify a yellow field powdered with black, which the French express much better by or semée d'ermine de fable.