Three extremely rare richly illustrated books (165 woodcuts) on land animals, fishes and birds.

16mo (a few sm. stains).

Overl. vellum, flat spine titled in ink, blue edges (recased, mod. endpapers, sl. warping). Nice copy.

1. Guéroult, Guillaume - La description philosophale de la nature & condition des animaux, tant raisonnables que bruts. Auec le sens moral sur le naturel [...]. Lyon, B. Rigaud, 1586. 64 pp. Verse description of (land) animals. Title within woodcut border. 59 woodcuts (human nudes censored). Ref. SvGültlingen (Rigaud) 1183 = Baudrier III:393 (not seen!). - Pettegree FB 23954. - Not in Adams, Durling, STC French (BL). - 2. [Belon, Pierre] - L’histoire universelle des poissons, & autres monstres aquatiques. Auecq leurs pourtraicts & figures, exprimez au plus pres du naturel. Lyon, Heirs of B. Rigaud, 1600. 93-[3 bl.] pp. Prose description of European fishes and of the "usual" sea monsters ("moyne marin" ,"evesque marin"). Title within woodcut border. 53 woodcuts. Ref. SvGültlingen (Heirs of Rigaud) 22-23 = Baudrier III:453. - FB 3347. - Not in Adams, Durling, STC French (BL). - 3. La propriete et nature des oyseaux. Auec leurs pourtraits & figures naifueme[n]t taillees. Le tout remis en bon ordre auec le sens moral [...]. Lyon, B. Rigaud, 1584. 63-[1 bl.] pp. Verse description of birds (8 ll., roman type) and a different one with a moral interpretation (8 ll., italics). Title within woodcut border. 53 woodcuts. Ref. SvGültlingen (Rigaud) 1141 = Baudrier III:383. - FB 39788. - Not in Adams, Durling, STC French (BL).