Rare in Arabic. Ibn Bukhtishu (980-1058 AD) was a Syriac physician and descendant from the important Bukhtishu Nestorian family that served as physicians to the Caliphs. Their education was extensive and they were well versed in Hindu and Green sciences as well as their native Arabic, Persian and Syriac. As well as compiling this text on animals from Aristotelean sources, he is known to have written medical texts as well as a treatise lovesickness. This manuscript comprises discourses relating to a wide variety of animals including, a goat, a cow, an elephant, a hare, a lion, a horse, a bear, a leopard, several fish (including an amphibious species), numerous birds, crabs, frogs, and insects.

A few medieval copies of this manuscript have been recorded, such as the copy produced for the Mongol ruler Ghazan from the 1290s (Ms M. 500 at the Pierpont Morgan Library) and the Ilkhanid ruler Ghazan Khan's copy form the 1200s (with leaves at the Cleveland Museum of Art 2006.149 among others), but these were translated to Persian at the bequest of the respective rulers. Examples of the text in Arabic are considerably rarer and the dating in the colophon of the present example strongly suggests that it was copied directly from an early Arabic medieval manuscript that was dated '700' (being 1300 AD).

Single volume, illustrated manuscript on thin buff paper, re-margined with polished Western watermarked paper, in Arabic, complete, 36 leaves, 210 by 145 mm; single column, 18 lines informal black nasta'liq script, headings and important phrases in red, illuminated head-piece opening the text, most pages illustrated with a drawing of an animal, catch-words, leaves double-ruled in red and gilt, seal stamps to first and final folios, later ink inscription to fol. 1a, a few very faint marks or smudges to the text, overall very clean and attractive condition; later leather-backed bards, ruled in blind with central medallions and foliate motifs to covers also stamped in blind, extremities very lightly rubbed.