BELON Pierre L’Histoire de la nature des oyseaux, avec leurs descriptions, & naïfs portraicts retirez du naturel : escrite en sept livres…

Mortimer, French, 50 ; Nissen, IVB, 86 ; Ronsil, 189 ; Zimmer, 52 ; Delaunay, La Zoologie au XVIe siècle, pp. 267-268 (note) ; Thiébaud, 65-66 ; Souhart, 45 ; Renouard (Cavellat), 81 ; Brun, p. 119 ; Aug. Bernard, Geofroy Tory, p. 320 ; see DSB, pp. 595-596, & Daumas, Histoire de la science, p. 1172.

First edition.

The first scientific French work on ornithology. The important work is divided into seven books, each headed by an individual title. The books treat the anatomy and physiology of birds, then in more detail birds of prey, aquatic birds (sea and river), chickens, crows and related specimens, and finally songbirds. Chapter two contains an important treatise on falconry.

"Belon can be considered the originator of comparative anatomy. By the same token, he depicted a porpoise embryo and set forth the first notions of embryology. Belon enriched the biological sciences by new observations and contributed greatly to the progress of the natural sciences in the sixteenth century. His learning was not derived solely from books. He was one of the first explorer-naturalists; and between 1546 and 1550 he undertook long voyages through Greece, Asia, Judaea, Egypt, Arabia, and other foreign countries. Belon discarded the bases of the comparative method and was not all afraid of drawing parallels between human and bird skeletons. He was the first to bring order into the world of feathered animals distinguishing between raptorial birds, field birds, etc." (DSB).

The fine 160 woodcuts are executed after the Parisian artist Pierre Goudet (or Gourdelle)(see number 33 of this catalogue), and other draughtsman that have remained unnamed. Auguste Bernard attributes the portrait of Belon as well as seven engravings depicting birds to Geofroy Tory (see : Geoffroy Tory Peintre et graveur, premier imprimeur royal, Paris, 1865).

"One of the earliest works dealing entirely with birds. The subject is discussed from a variety of aspects. Book 1 (pp. 1-180) is of general nature and, among other things, presents a comparison between the skeletons of birds and men- probably (according to Newton's Dictionary of Birds) the first published account of this subject. Book 2 (pp. 81-148) discusses 'la nature des oyseaux vivant de rapine' ; 3, 'des oyseaux vivants de long des rivières, ayants le pied plat' ; 4, idem 'qui ont le pied plat' ; 5, 'des oyseaux de campagne, qui ont leurs nids sur terre' ; 6, 'des oyseaux qui habitent indifféremment' ; and 7, 'des oysillons, qui hantent les hayes, buschettes, & buissons'" (Zimmer).

Other than the scientific interest, Belon also describes the culinary virtues of poultry.

"Belon apprécie, pour chaque type, les qualitez et temperaments que leur consommation apporte au corps humain. S'appuyant sur le De alimentum facultatibus de Galien et sur la théorie des humeurs, il souligne par exemple combien les palmipèdes, toujours au contact de l'eau, ont une chair humide et excrémenteuse qui épaissit le sang et digère mal… Il détaille aussi les habitudes alimentaires et l'ordonnancement des repas selon les pays, les religions et les classes sociales" (Livres en bouche).

Fine, broad margined copy (binding slightly restored; some occasional slight foxing).