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The Book of Hunt with Birds

It is a treatise, written by the famous Castilian political figure and writer of fourteenth century during his captivity in Portugal in 1386. The book is partly a translation of the treatise of Portuguese falconer Pero Merino “Livro de Falcoaria” (Book of Falconry). The biggest part of the treatise of Lopez de Ayala is dedicated to the diagnostics, treatment and prophylaxis of birds’ diseases. It consists of 47 chapters, constituting 4 parts: about the reasons why people hunt with bird (the prologue); about the species of birds, their nature and characteristics, including advices which bird is better for which purpose and how to choose them properly (first seven chapters); about the practice of treatment of peregrine or “halcón nebli” (chapter 8); and description of symptoms of diseases of birds and ways to treat them (chapters 9 – 47).

Spanish tradition of this kind of treatises was at the moment big enough. Examples which I know are “Book of Hunt of king Alfonso XI” (1312-1350; Libro de la montería del rey don Alfonso XI. Madrid, 1877), “Book of Hunt of Prince Don Juan Manuel” (written in 1325/1326; Libro de la caza del príncipe don Juán Manuel. Madrid, 1879), and “Tretise about the Diseases of Hunting Birds” (presumably second half of the thirteenth century; Tratado de las enfermedades de las aves de la caza. Stockholm, 1957).

Treatise of Alfonso XI is the only one dedicated to the dog hunt. It consists of three parts (what the hunter should know to care of his hunting dogs and what can happen to them during the hunt; cure of dogs, first of all in case of wounds; about the lends of señoría, which are better for hunt during the winter and which – during the summer). Treatise of Juan Manuel is dedicated mostly to the care and training of birds.

The last treatise is about diseases of hunting birds. As it was proven by Bertil Maler in his introduction to the publication of the treatise (Tratado de las enfermedades de las aves de caza. Intr. Bertil Maler. Stocholm, 1957), this treatise is a translation and compilation of others, Latin, German, Provencal, and so on.

References

Pero Lopez de Ayala, El libro de la caza de las aves (Madrid: Castalia, 1969. Ed., Intr. J. Fradezas Lebrero).

Another important article investigating European treatises about hunt, mostly English, is Evans D., “The Nobility of Knight and Falcon”. In The Ideals and Practice of medieval knighthood III, (79-99).

contributor Kaliteevskaia, Irina, m04kai01@student.ceu.hu, Central European University