60 - [Natural History][Botany][Auvergne] DELARBRE (A.). A Zoological Essay, or Natural History of Wild Quadrupeds and Native Birds; of Those That Are Merely Migratory or Rarely Seen; and of Fish and Amphibians, Observed in the Former Province of Auvergne. Clermont-Ferrand, Beauvert and Deschamps, 1797. [Followed by:] Flora of Auvergne, or A Collection of Plants from This Former Province. Clermont-Ferrand, Beauvert and Deschamps, 1795. One volume in-8, in period half-basane, smooth spine with decorative lettering. Some scuffing; a paper loss on p. 346 of the first text, without affecting the text.

[Natural History][Botany][Auvergne] DELARBRE (A.). A Zoological Essay, or Natural History of Wild Quadrupeds and Native Birds; of Those That Are Merely Migratory or Rarely Seen; and of Fish and Amphibians, Observed in the Former Province of Auvergne. Clermont-Ferrand, Beauvert and Deschamps, 1797. [Followed by:] Flora of Auvergne, or A Collection of Plants from This Former Province. Clermont-Ferrand, Beauvert and Deschamps, 1795. One volume in-8, in period half-basane, smooth spine with decorative lettering. Some scuffing; a paper loss on p. 346 of the first text, without affecting the text. A rare combination, in first edition, of two seminal works on the natural history of Auvergne in the late 18th century. Antoine Delarbre (1724–1807), an Auvergnat naturalist, botanist, and clergyman, played an active role in the development of botany in Clermont-Ferrand, where he taught at the Botanical Garden. The first work, *Essai zoologique* (1797), is one of the earliest comprehensive studies devoted to the fauna of Auvergne. The entries, organized by species, combine physical descriptions, information on habitats, behaviors, and local observations. Ornithology occupies a particularly important place in this inventory. The second work, *Flore d’Auvergne* (1795), which compiles the plants observed in Auvergne, is a valuable source for the history of botany and the natural environments of the Massif Central in the late 18th century.