Codex canadensis

About the Manuscript

An otter, a beaver and two species of seal are shown together on page 37. The author describes them as amphibians -- almost fish -- because they live in the water.

Our author seems to have paid particular attention to the section on birds. The use of yellow, red and blue in the illustrations of the various birds on page 41 made this page the most beautiful in the Codex. Birds of prey, described starting on page 49, were of great interest to the author. Falconry was still popular among European kings and nobles at the time.

On page 55, the author groups together several "monsters," or creatures that could be described as such: a merman, the "highly venomous" tailed frog, a firefly and a bullfrog that could be heard from "two leagues" away.

The section concerning fish does not distinguish between them and marine mammals such as the whale. Everything that lived in the water was a fish. The distinction between the two groups was not made until the 18th century. The shark shown on page 65 was aptly named a "requiem."

It seems as if the author was trying to fill up the few remaining pages to complete his manuscript. Images include Jacques Cartier's ship (page 67) as well as his portrait and that of a religious or symbolic figure (page 68) -- not his wife as had previously been thought -- a cannon, and several other animals common to Europe such as a cat and dog (page 74).