Vair

Heraldic vair, arms of Baron Beauchamp and of Hellemmes in France

Vair (/vɛər/; from Latin varius "variegated"), originating as a processed form of squirrel fur, gave its name to a set of different patterns used in heraldry. Heraldic vair represents a kind of fur common in the Middle Ages, made from pieces of the greyish-blue backs of squirrels sewn together with pieces of the animals' white underbellies. Vair is the second-most common fur in heraldry, after ermine.[citation needed]