Historiae naturalis de serpentibus libri duo. Iohannes Ionstonus ... concinnavit, Heilbronn, 1757
Between 1649 and 1657, the Polish Jan Jonston (1603-1675) published the six volumes of his Historiae Naturalis having as a model the sixteenth-century experiences of Conrad Gessner (e.g. The Historia animalium) and Ulisse Aldrovandi (author of many books on birds, fish, insects, quadrupeds, reptiles). These works were often accompanied by a large iconography that in the case of the Historiae Naturalis is due to one of the well-known Merian brothers, specialized in scientific illustrations. Inside, in addition to accurate description of the animals, fantastic or monstrous animals are also mentioned and represented