Nails are of various kinds; the ordinarynail has a squarehead; those in the insignia of the GLAZIERS' Company are called closingnails, and are drawn as in the margin; tilers' nails have larger heads than ordinarynails. Horse-nails are also found named. The term spike is sometimes used for nail, and the drawing is sometimes mistaken for the wedge. (See also Passion-nails).
Naissant(fr.), sometimes written nascent: issuing from the middle of an ordinary, as shewn in the illustration. It is sometimes confused with issuant, which should be restricted to charges which rise from the upper line of a fesse or bar, or the lower line of a chief.
Nebuly, (fr. nebulé): an undulating line of division, which being intended to represent clouds is drawn horizontally; when applied to the field, however, it is usually described as barrynebuly, q.v. But it may also be applied to ordinaries such as the fesse and chevron; but not to an ordinary so as to interfere with its horizontal position. It is liable to be confused from careless drawing with undy or wavy, and in ancient armoury with vair; but though the term does not occur in early blazon, it was in later blazon no doubt intended to denote a different form from either.
Negro. See Man; also Head. Neptune. One coat of arms has the figure of Neptune thus minutely described, believed to have reference to an escape from shipwreck.
Net, (fr. reseau, old fr. rets): in one Scotch coat a fisherman's net occurs, but it is suggested by heralds that the term fret, or rather fretty, should be used to represent the nets.
Nimbus, of Circle of Glory, represents the ring of light placed around the heads of Saints, the Holy Lamb(q.v.) and other sacred subjects. Modern painters often represent it as a circle of sun-rays, as around the head of S.John the Baptist, (q.v.).
Nippers. See Glazier's. Noah's Ark, (fr. Arche de Noé): this device is singularly chosen for more than one coat of arms, both of English and French families. It is generally represented floating on the waters of the deluge, and in chief a doveflying, bearing in its beak the olive-branch.
