Dr Pat Rich
Monash University - Clayton - Vic - Australia

8-10-80

Dear Pat,

Thank you for your letter of 1st October and the information contained therein, also for clarifying the situation on being Mrs. I had the feeling that this may have been the situation. Couldn’t make up my mind whether it was Patricia or Patrick!!

You will perhaps wonder at my prompt reply but I’m writing while the opportunity exists. I am so far behind with my correspondence that it worries me at times. Therefore I will do this thought and also answer Ted Schurmanns (Ted writes up the Poultry page for the Weekly Times in Melbourne) letter. He and I correspond and although I have not met him, we do appear to be able to have some common ground to work on.

The reference on Jànossy sounds very interesting and I will endeavour to get hold of the article. I will check with Newcastle University tomorrow. I read the publication on AQUILA? Can’t say I have heard of it but will chase it up. All leads such as this may eventually piece together. As far as I can ascertain no serious work has been done on the chicken but there does appear from your comment on Jànossy that there could be bit a pieces of information around it. Out no one has put them together. If has become quite a thing for me and I am determined to find out as many facts as I can. Nevertheless an interesting challenge.

Did you note just recently both on television and on the press the report on the large fossil bird discovered in Argentina? The television report mentioned 5 million years. They called it the TERATORN.

I have written to Dr Kenneth Campbell of the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History seeking further information and also endeavouring to ascertain if any chicken bones etc have been unearthed in South America as I am interested as to whether the chicken was in the Americas pre-Columbian. This question has never been settled.

Regarding the Pekin Bantam. Yes, it is a breed worth keeping. My son began breeding them some 15 years ago when he was around 12 or 13 years old. When he left home to begin his working life it became my job in keep them going. Therefore I had to set about getting to know them. It has eventually become a big part of my way of life. He however he is now back in town and over the years he has retained his interest. He did in fact judge the Pekins at this year’s Sydney Royal Show. We are able to hold our own with all comers at the shows.

I will send you under separate cover in the near future some back copies of the Pekin Bantam Club of NSW Newsletter of which I am Editor. It may encourage you to take on the Pekin Bantams perhaps sooner.

I am in the moment endeavouring to develop a Pekin with the Columbian colour pattern (this is the colour marking as in the Sussex fowl, white with black in neck, wings and tail). I have been nearby 3 years on the project and am at this stage where it appears it will be possible (after another 6 generations, 9 in all). There are no Pekins with this colour pattern in Australia as yet. The result of my work on them so far appeared as an article in the American Bantam Association Yearbook of 1980.

You suggested in your previous letter that I contact Professor Olsen, Dr Jeanette Hope and Dr Higgs. I haven’t written to them and also Professor Brodkorb. At this point of time I have received a letter from Professor Olsen who has returned from an extensive trip to Chine where he was pursuing early domestic dogs.

He advised that on going thru the bone collections from the Neolithic site of Pan-p’o near Sian in Northern China there were considerable elements of chicken bone amongst them. I have again written to him and sent him a copy of the Finsterbusch notes hoping that he may find time to compare the bones found in China with Finsterbusch deliberations.

Although I retired from my normal work just over 12 months ago, I never seemed to have been busier, the days just do not seem to be long enough. I had hoped to have a lot of the material down in readable form by now but it seems that when you retire you take an extra interest or perhaps try to do things you couldn’t do before. It seems that I fall in this category. Nevertheless it keeps me out of trouble I can assure you. I do find this study very satisfying however. I am just coming up to the 3  score mark age wise. I should have started the Project many years ago. I will keep you informed on progress and endeavour to obtain a skeleton carrying the claws on the Pekin.

Once again thank you for your assistance. It’s much appreciated.

Sincerely yours,