Heraldic Beasts?

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

That's what I was wondering, I don't seem to be finding any information on what the beasts are supposed to mean.

You might want to have your library scare up a copy of Cecil Wade's book, The Symbolisms of Heraldry, published in 1898.

[Bugbear]

You might want to have your library scare up a copy of Cecil Wade's book, The Symbolisms of Heraldry, published in 1898.

Thanks, I will look for that book at the accessible libraries.

This book does have a dictionary, but it does not seem to give the symbolic meanings of the animals, just short descriptions.
The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Manual of Heraldry; Fifth Edition, by Anonymous (eBook #16273)

There's one or two others over there.

[Mike_Oettle]

While there are symbolisms attached to various animals that appear in heraldry (the mythical as well as the real kind), heraldry itself does not necessarily concern itself with that symbolism.
A man might choose to bear a certain beast (or a herald may assign him one) for its symbolic meaning, or simply because it makes a pleasing and original design, or because it is an element from another coat of arms that has some bearing on that man or his family.
You will find designs where the symbolism was deeply thought through (and which has been explained in some written description), and you will also find designs where little attention has been paid to the symbolism.
I am vaguely aware that the unicorn is a symbol of purity, and that it may only be captured by a virgin. But I chose to include it in my coat of arms because it was part of a design my family had used for centuries.
I had to alter the design somewhat to make it clear that I was not infringing on the rights of another German family, but it retains the same elements.

Rathdown and Jersey Lawyer mentioned the tyger (sometimes also called the tiger), by contrast with the Bengal tiger.
An oddity in South African heraldry is the leopard that appears in the arms of the town of Goodwood (now incorporated into Cape Town).
The enthusiast who designed the arms made the leopard on the shield white with black spots (instead of yellow or tawny), and blazoned it as an African tiger.
His reasoning was that the Tygerberg (a hill close to Goodwood) was so named because the Dutchmen who found leopards there were familiar with the tigers they had seen in India, Java and Sumatra, and referred to them as tijger.
He gave no motivation for the white colouring.
The blazon was accepted without question by the Bureau of Heraldry, so although the arms show a leopard, the official blazon calls it an African tiger!
Regards,
Mike

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Rathdown and Jersey Lawyer mentioned the tyger (sometimes also called the tiger), by contrast with the Bengal tiger.

In modern heraldic practice tyger and tiger are now considered separate charges. Tygers, to heralds, are those fanciful critters that have been prowling and growling around shields and helmets since the 15th/16th century. Tigers, on the other hand, refer to the sort of animal that tried to eat Sigfried (or was it Roy) in Las Vegas a few years ago. Because there are several species of tiger, the default is always a Bengal, unless otherwise specified. Because it is necessary to blazon the colours and tinctures of all charges, a "tiger, proper" would be a Bengal tiger. It would only be necessary to specify the type of tiger (for example a Siberian tiger) if something other than a Bengal was to be depicted in the arms or crest.

An oddity in South African heraldry is the leopard that appears in the arms of the town of Goodwood (now incorporated into Cape Town).
The enthusiast who designed the arms made the leopard on the shield white with black spots (instead of yellow or tawny), and blazoned it as an African tiger.
His reasoning was that the Tygerberg (a hill close to Goodwood) was so named because the Dutchmen who found leopards there were familiar with the tigers they had seen in India, Java and Sumatra, and referred to them as tijger.
He gave no motivation for the white colouring.
The blazon was accepted without question by the Bureau of Heraldry, so although the arms show a leopard, the official blazon calls it an African tiger!
Regards,
Mike

Quaint, eccentric, and typical of the whims of heralds! I love it...