Dr
D.S.Bullock
Escuela
Agricola - Casilla 2-D - Angol, Chile
December
19, 1934
Dear
Dr Bullock,
Your
letter of June 22, together with the leg bone of a gallinaceous bird came duly
to hand at a time when I was away from Washington, and were held for my
attention. I am much interested in this type of thing and receive a
considerable amount for examination so that sometimes, as in the present case,
a little period must elapse before I can make reply.
Your
specimen is the leg bone of a male domestic fowl
Gallus gallus and must have come from a strong and robust fighting cock
from the strength of the spur.
The
specimen is highly interesting because of its antiquity and I am pleased to
have it for preservation in our collection here. To discuss some of your
queries and questions, while most of the fatty matter has been lost from this
bone it is not fossilized in the sense that the bony tissue has been replaced
by silicon. The brown appearance may be due to leaching in the grave in which
it is found, while the polish may have come from handling. It would be
fascinating to know just why it was buried with its owner.
That
there were domestic fowl in the New World at the time of the discovery has
been frequently advanced as a theory but is one of which there is non absolute
basis in fact. When we recall that the early explorers took domestic animals
with them, and when we remember how easily chickens propagate and establish
themselves then I think we must believe that Gallus
gallus was introduced. Undoubtedly it came at a very early date. You
may know that chickens have for more than a hundred years been established in
a wild state in some of the South Pacific islands undoubtedly from escapes
from domestication.
The
specimen is accessioned as a gift in your name for which I give you my sincere
thanks. With kindest regards, I am
Sincerely
yours,
Alexander
Wetmore
Assistant Secretary
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