Codex canadensis  Codex canadensis is a handwritten and hand-drawn document from that depicts the wildlife and native peoples of Canada. It contains 180 drawings of First Nations' people, plants, mammals, birds and fish of the New World. Although the manuscript was neither signed nor dated, scholars believe its most likely author was Louis Nicolas, a French Jesuit. It is currently kept at the Gilcrease Museum, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. When a facsimile of the Codex was produced in 1934, a foreword by Baron Marc de Villiers attributed the original work to Bécart de Granville. Scholars have more recently discovered that the author was probably Nicolas. The "Histoire Naturelle des Indes Occidentales", a document held at the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris, is speculated to have also been written by Nicolas and provides an in depth description of the animals, fish and plants of Canada, which are all depicted in the "Codex Canadensis". The author of the "Histoire Naturelle" also mentions that the descriptions of his observations are accompanied by illustrations: . The author of the latter document signed his work M.L.N.P, which recalls the initials of the "Grammaire Algonquine" 's author, Louis Nicolas. Furthermore, in the "Grammaire" 's preface, the author specifies that he has placed at the end of his book an extra section on the history of the country: "". The "Codex Canadensis" and "Histoire Naturelle des Indes Occidentales" could easily be the supplement Louis Nicolas refers too. Indeed, the similarities between the "Codex Canadensis", the "Histoire Naturelle" and the "Grammaire Algonquine" make it reasonable to believe that all three documents were written by the same man, Louis Nicolas, Priest and Missionary. Louis Nicolas was born in 1634 in Ardèche, France. He joined the Jesuits at age 20. In 1664, he arrived in New France, where his order was sent to convert the Aboriginal peoples. As he travelled, his interest in Aboriginal languages and culture increased. Nonetheless, he did not always behave accordingly towards the native peoples. He could be "quick-tempered and rather vain". In 1675, he returned to France. Apart from its depictions of plants, animals, and native peoples, the "Codex Canadensis" also includes two maps.