Mateusz Cyganski
Mateusz Cygański (c. 1535 – c. 1611) was a naturalist who wrote a book on bird hunting, ''Myślistwo ptasze,'' in Polish in 1584 at Kraków, Krakow, revealing the nature of the land, the status of birds and the methods used in bird hunting in the period. It is among the earliest printed book in Poland and the earliest known Polish work on falconry. The name Cyganski is believed to be derived from the name of a village named Cygany in Mazovia although the exact location is unknown. More than forty villages with similar names exist. It is also possible that his surname was derived from German von Zigahnen. He was from a noble family bearing the Prus I coat of arms and probably moved from to Poland and was a friend of Stephen Báthory, to whom his book was dedicated. His book on bird hunting published in 1585 and included 150 species with 79 woodcuts of birds. Some of the woodcuts are thought to have been drawn from mounted specimens, indicating the taxidermy techniques of the peri ...
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