Medieval hunting books and their interest for natural history

Protective, utilitarian and sport hunting are the basic types of hunting and will be defined in the introduction. Hunting for pleasure is the only type that has been coded and recorded in the hunting books and treatises, a genre that was born in Ancient Greece but had minimal output during the Greco-Roman period. It was not until the Later Middle Ages that the genre was developed further and a new kind of treatise emerged, devoted to falconry, a distinctly medieval subgenus. As an aristocratic pastime, falconry later declined in popularity, partly due to the refinement of firearms. Books and treatises on falconry and on chasse courant, or chasse par force, are a very interesting source of information for environmental studies, as yet sparsely explored for their significance. During the XIV-century in the Kingdom of Castile, the Libro de la caza by Juan Manuel, a falconry treatise, and the Libro de la montería by King Alfonso, a book on the chasse par force, were written. Although they deal with two different hunting methods, they both consist of guides to the best hunting locations. Some places are just named or briefly mentioned but others are minutely described and also provide other useful information. This includes the quarry most likely to be found there, information about the hunting seasons, dangerous spots and where they are located, and in the case of chasse par force, how and where huntsmen and relays should be most favourably placed