BELON, PIERRE

(1517-1564)

French naturalist. Though born to a poor family, he found aristocratic and royal patronage that not only enabled him to study at theUniversityof Paris but also financed his extensive travels through Europe and the Near East to observe natural phenomena. His two famous works wereLa Nature et diversité des poissons/The Nature and Variety of Fish(1551) andL'Histoire de la nature des oyseaux/Description of the Nature of Birds(1555).