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One of the first empirical works which can be said to approximate to serious zoology is the book of hawks "De Arte venandi cum avibus" (On the art of hunting with the hawk) by the emperor Frederick II. In the introduction, the author "Frederick II, Emperor of Rome, King of Jerusalem and Sicily" states that he spent thirty years collecting material for this work. In the year 1248, soon after the completion of the six-volume work, it was destroyed during the armed conflict. Not long after its destruction, Manfred, Frederick's son, produced a facsimile of the codex which is housed today in the Vatican Library in Rome.
Everything worth knowing about hawks, kestrels, sparrow-hawks and other birds is contained in this manuscript, along with information concerning the breeding and training of dogs. Everything is illustrated in detailed, coloured drawings.
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