Why are arrays of references illegal?

Question

The following code does not compile.

int a = 1, b = 2, c = 3;
int& arr[] = {a,b,c,8};

What does the C++ standard say about this?

I know I could declare a class that contains a reference, then create an array of that class, as shown below. But I really want to know why the code above doesn't compile.

struct cintref
{
    cintref(const int & ref) : ref(ref) {}
    operator const int &() { return ref; }
private:
    const int & ref;
    void operator=(const cintref &);
};

int main() 
{
  int a=1,b=2,c=3;
  //typedef const int &  cintref;
  cintref arr[] = {a,b,c,8};
}

It is possible to use struct cintref instead of const int & to simulate an array of references.

Answer 1

Answering to your question about standard I can cite the C++ Standard §8.3.2/4:

There shall be no references to references, no arrays of references, and no pointers to references.