Le description philosophale de la nature & condition des oyseaux & de l'inclination & proprieté d'iceux
A 1571 French natural history of birds, printed in Paris by Jean Ruelle, a bestiary-style treatise describing the nature, habits and inclinations of birds for a general readership. Its small woodcuts show birds in profile, perched on branches or standing on grassy ground inside plain square frames, with a crest on one bird and a fantastical long-necked creature among them; a designer could take their simple outlines and compact framing as models for small emblematic bird vignettes.
