Professor George Carter
Texas A&M University - College Station- Texas - USA

15-4-1985

Dear Professor Carter,

First I must apologise for not answering your October letter. I have had a number of personal family problems over the past months and consequently my correspondence, writing etc have fallen behind. However I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and my life is getting back near to normal once again.

I thank you for your comments on my Chicken bone recoveries and the further information you supplied. Thank you also for correcting the location of Picuris Pueblo as being in the State of New Mexico rather than in Mexico itself.

You spoke of me regarding your paper from Man across the sea  on the chicken as being invalid speculation. It was not me who thought along these lines. I had only quoted from a personal communication I had received from Dr Roger C.Green, Professor of Prehistory, the University of Auckland, New Zealand. I don’t think any of information I have received from yourself and others of this subject is invalid. It all has its place I feel, when all these pieces of information are put together hopefully they will add up to something.

I am hopeful that the information I have put together in the Chicken Bone book will indeed encourage others to do further study. I think you and I both agree that further bones recovery is very necessary for us to gain any ground.

I have had some feedback from the book and of special significance was the copy of a paper from Mrs Sally Rodwell of Cambridge, England. It is entitled China’s earliest farmers, the evidence from Cishan. You will note I mentioned Mrs Rodwell in Chicken Bone recoveries. She advises that there is now some interest being shown by British archaeologists in the issue of the origins of the domestic fowl.

Her paper covered work of Professor Zhou Ben Xiong who excavated faunal remains from Cishan and other sites in Northern China. Much chicken bone has been recovered and carbon dated around 5000 BC. This would probably be the earliest chicken bone yet recovered and opens up new avenues I would say.

Professor Higham of the University of Otago in New Zealand promised to send me chicken bones recovered in North East Thailand but nothing has arrived as yet. Perhaps he is away on another trip.

Mrs Rodwell is showing my bone notes to a chap at the Institute of Archaeology in London whom she feels would be interested so perhaps some more information may come to hand.

I am still continuing with my writing and research hoping to get more people interested in following up the subject of the origins etc of the domestic chicken. If I can do this I will feel that I have achieved something. Hope this letter finds you well, and sorry I’ve been so long answering. Hoping to hear from again in the not too distant future.

Sincerely yours,