J.R.Specht
Dept of Anthropology
The Australian Museum - Sydney

4-12-1980

Dear Jim,

I thank so much for passing my request on to your library for the AQUILA paper by Jànossy.

I received in the due course. Jànossy discusses fossilised chicken be from the Lower Pliocene unearthed in the Carpathian Basin, than says and suggests the bone may assist in formulating the origin of the chicken.

I also received information from the Museum of National History Smithsonian Institution - Washington DC on chicken bone (not fossilised) unearthed by Dr D.S. Bullock on Mocha Island off the Southern coast of Chile in 1934. The tarso-metatarsus was 109 mm long and quite robust. I have sent Finsterbusch’s notes over for comparison. The bone has not been dated. Bullock suggested about 250 years old (1934). It comes from an Indian grave.

By the size etc. suggests it could be Asiatic (possibly descended from Malay) which may have been brought over by Dutch Pirates in 16th century from East Indies. If it is older than that it opens up an interesting situation. The pre-Columbian chicken question in the Americas could be affected.

It has not been settled and the distribution across the Pacific. Anything on the Watom Island bone yet?

I was down in Sydney last Thursday and rang the Museum. They told me you were away last week. I was just around the corner in Liverpool St. at my son’s sandwich shop and could have dropped around the Museum for a few minutes.

He has had the shop there going on 6 years, although not operating it himself now (manager). He operates similar business also here in Maitland. Perhaps next time I am in Sydney I can look you up.

Sincerely yours,