THE chough maintains a continued existence in heraldry. Three choughs traditionally signify someone of the surname Coats, as in the coat-of-arms of Sir Thomas Coats of Ferguslie Park recorded in 1895. This attractive little bird is depicted as a slimmer version of a crow and with red beak and legs.

In England's heraldry, ''becket'' is held to be a colloquial word for chough, so the attributed arms of St Thomas Becket show three choughs on a silver shield. The arms of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey (c 1474-1530) contain two ''Becket birds'' in allusion to his namesake and predecessor.

Gordon Casely,

Director, Herald Strategy Ltd,

45 Beaconsfield Place, Aberdeen.

February 23.