Woodcut of a "monstrous flying fish" from Des Monstres et prodiges by Ambroise Par矇, 1573. Des Monstres is filled with unsubstantiated accounts of sea devils, marine sows, and monstrous animals with human faces. With its extensive discussion of reproduction and illustrations of birth defects, the book invited accusations of pornography. "In 1550 a flying fish was caught that was frightening and gave marvel to see. It was four or more feet in length and twice as much in width from one tip to the other of its wing, and a good square foot in thickeness. Its head was wondrously thick, having two eyes, one on top of the other, in a line; two large ears and two mouths; its snout was very fleshy; green in color; its wings were double; on its throat it had five holes in the fashion of a lamprey; its tail was an ell long, on top of which were two small wings." It has been suggested the monster may have been a species of cow-nosed rays.