What are the birds on the McGill coat of arms?
The three birds that appear on the coat of arms are Martlets, imaginary birds steeped in heraldic myth. The birds are legless, a symbolic representation of their perpetual state of flight. Some background on the Coat of Arms… In 1922, under the direction of Principal Sir Arthur Currie, the McGill University Coat of Arms underwent some changes, with the addition of the open book, the two crowns, and the University’s motto (“Grandescunt Aucta Labore” – By work all things increase and grow) as well as James McGill’s personal motto (“In Domino Confido” – I trust in the Lord). That same year, the coat of arms (see image) was patented by the Garter King-at-Arms in London. In 1956, the matriculation of the coat of arms was granted by the Lord Lyon King-at-Arms in Edinburgh. In the ensuing decades several vulgarized versions of the coat of arms proliferated in and around campus until 1975, when the Board of Governors convened and settled upon a single standardized look for the coat of arms t
