What nickname did Oxford's Eagle and Child pub have among C.S. Lewis's friends?

C.S. Lewis's friends nicknamed Oxford's Eagle and Child pub “The Bird and Baby.”

The Eagle and Child is a historic pub on St Giles' Street in Oxford. Members of the Inklings, an informal literary discussion group, met there regularly, especially on Tuesdays. The group included C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and other writers and scholars. Their meetings involved reading work aloud, debating ideas, and sharing drafts.

The pub's informal nickname refers to its sign: an eagle carrying a child. “The Bird and Baby” is therefore not the pub's official name, nor was it a title created by Lewis for a fictional location. Lewis and Tolkien are strongly associated with the pub because of the Inklings, but the group also met in Lewis's rooms at Magdalen College and elsewhere. The Eagle and Child's literary association made it a popular stop for visitors to Oxford.