Abstract
Stanislav Komárek edited, commented and wrote a preface to work Miscellanea from the History of the Kingdom of Bohemia, I. On the Nature of Bohemia (Miscellanea historica regni Bohemiae I.
Natura Bohemicae telluris, 1679) by Bohuslav Balbín (1621-1688), a Czech Baroque polymath and member of the Jesuit order. This work presents the first Czech commented translation of the entire, originally Latin treatise.
The aim of the commentary is to try and identify all plant and animal species mentioned in the two works, including their original Latin name and current Czech and scientific name with further comments and notes. This publication also includes a substantial chapter about Bohuslav Balbín, who is generally better known as a local historian and patriot than a biologist.
In his Miscellanea, Balbín presented the first and for a long time the last comprehensive description of the nature of Bohemia and this is the work's first scientifically commented edition. Balbín reports about the geography, mountains, and waters of the Kingdom of Bohemia, its minerals, precious stones, deposits of precious and non-precious metals, but also for instance about the healing springs.
The book includes a description of Bohemia flora, notably a list of medicinal plants based partly on Mattioli's herbal, but also a list of local trees, an essay on domesticated and decora-tive plants and fruit trees, as well as reports about fossils and other natural curiosities. Balbín's Miscellanea are of special importance and irreplaceable value as the first comprehensive description of the vertebrates of Bohemia.
Especially noteworthy are his detailed reports regarding the presence of various bird species, which include their Czech names and manner in which they are hunted. Equally detailed is Balbín's report on the fish of Bohemia, their biology, fish farming in ponds, as well as their Czech and German names.
Especially the quality of Balbín's reports about salmon runs far exceeds the stand-ards of contemporary biological scholarship and was improved on only in late 19th century. Balbín's descriptions of large mammals of Bohemia, the game of his times, hunting enclosures, and feudal menageries is also extraordinarily interesting.
An appendix to the book presents a chapter on the nature in Mo ra via by the Prague canon Tomáš Pešina of Čechorod, taken from his 1677 book Mars Moravicus. It contains similar informa-tion as Balbín's treatise and like the Miscellanea, this is also the first Czech edition of the text.