John Skinner
University of Wisconsin - Madison - USA

31-7-1985

Dear John,

Received your newsy letter and nice to hear from you. OK regarding the Chicken Bone book. Would appreciate a photostat copy of your review of it from the Poultry Historical Society’s newsletter and no you didn’t send me a copy NCR # 209 - 1984 revision of Bantam circular. This would also be appreciated.

Yes, the Origin, evolution etc etc is as you say a pretty heavy project but I am plugging away at it. My aim is to collect what material I can, add to it a few conclusions of my own, then publish it and hope that someone who reads it can add a little more. This in fact is what is happening as I have received quite a deal of feedback since I sent out the Chicken Bone book to various people etc. I have almost completed the manuscript for the next book in the series The Gallus species  with a supplement of the extra chicken bone information.

So far my contact on mainland China has been very good. She has sent me a copy of the paper regarding the chicken bone recovered over there in recent times, photographs as well. This bone, dated around 5000 BC predates anything else already dug up. Therefore a lot of rethinking will be necessary on the earlier recoveries. It is quite an important discovery. The chap I have contact with Dr Han Defen of the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology & Palaeoanthropology in Beijing was a classmate of Professor Zhou Ben Xian who wrote the paper and did the recoveries. She has also promised to send me copies of photographs of earthenware models of chickens dated around 3000 BC. These should be interesting.

Some of the paper is in Chinese characters but I have organised one of our local medical practitioners who is Chinese to do the translation for me. We have quite a number of medical doctors in Australia of Chinese, Pakistani and Indian origins.

As far as I can ascertain at this stage the recoveries in China belonged to the Red Junglefowl and according to measurements given comparisons would support this. However I think very intense study should be done on the bones to be sure of this.

I have also made contact with Dr Colin Harrison of the British Museum (Department of Ornithology) in England. He has identified a new species from recoveries in England which he named Gallus Europæus, very similar to bankiva, but there is a difference apparently. These recent recoveries screw up the picture somewhat as against earlier writings but do begin to fill in some gaps, which is good. It’s quite exciting actually to have this information coming to hand.

Yes, I think the situation with mainland China is easing for I saw Ronald Regan welcoming the Chinese President to China on the TV news just the other day. I think China holds many of the answer we are looking for.

As you will note in my chicken book I have listed the aspects of the overall subject I hope to cover. Amongst them is Later History of the Chicken. In that book I will endeavour to cover the history in the different continents etc.

Although I do not have a copy of The American Poultry History I feel the history from your country would be adequately covered in that book, so rather than delve into it, when I come to that point I will refer my readers to The American Poultry History. I am going to ask Mrs Banning Vogelpoel of the Netherlands if she will do the chapter on European History. She is well versed on the history etc from that area.

With regard to Fred Jeffrey I have observed over the years the work he has been doing with the ABA. I guess he is in his seventies now and I have been corresponding with quite a long time and I think he was around 64 when he took on the job. He has been most helpful with advice on colour breeding of which he has an extensive knowledge. I guess as you say you need a little time to get your own affairs up to date when you retire. I retired some years back and am now 64. I could do with 8 days in the week to do all I want to do and the days aren’t long enough even then.

I have also corresponded with Frank Gary for some years. He first wrote to me requesting information on the Australian indigenous breeds, as unfortunately in Australia we don’t have a national organisation as you do in the States (APA+ABA). I provided him with the information he was looking for and he used it to compile a standard for the Australian Game, Australian Pit Game and Langshan (which is different to your Langshan) and Australorp Bantams, using our standard which he put into the American format. We also cooperated compiling a suggested standard for the Australian Pekin Bantam, the counterpart of your Cochin Bantam. I published this suggested standard in my book. The British Standard is still used in Australia but it’s a little but crazy in lots of ways and not very specific. I like the American format dealing with both male & female.

I have a very high regard for Mr Gary when it comes to standards. He has a very forthright approach and he gave me which I think was a bit of very good advice early in the peace when he said: Just go right ahead and do it, don’t fiddle around & don’t worry about the cynics.

I followed this advice when I published this suggested Pekin Standard and also of recent times when I was delegated by the Pekin Bantam Club of NSW of which I am heavily involved to research the material for a colour standard for Black Red - Wheaten - Blue Red - Brown Red & Birchen. We were requested to set up guidelines by some of our members as these colours are now being exhibited in Australia.

I had to do some heavy research but eventually came up with a result which satisfied our committee. We went ahead and got it on the track and published it as our Specialist Club recommended standard for these colours. We have had very little adverse comment but of no consequence.

Mostly the comment has been good. Our move is following Me Gary’s advice i.e. just go ahead and do the job. We will now be working on all the colours for the Pekin. I might add the British Standard was of no use at all in my endeavours. They have no description for the Blue Red at all. They talk of a Birchen Duckwing. What this is I wouldn’t know and from enquiries I have made amongst some of our foremost OEG breeders can’t get an answer either a Birchen is crow winged (i.e. no markings in primaries or secondaries) whilst a Duckwing’s primaries & secondaries are marked to form a wing bay when the wing is closed. In my opinion a Birchen & a Duckwing are two different ball games. I can’t see how the two can be linked together.

I think as you do that someone should be trained by Mr Gary to take over for his knowledge of the subject should be passed on. I haven’t heard from him for quite awhile. I knew that he was well on in years and his eyesight has failed. I think he has to depend on his son in law to write his letters and his house helper to read his mail. I certainly have enjoyed corresponding with him and he has been most helpful with his advice.

I will send with this a copy of the Standard I have been discussing. Would appreciate your comments. I do have a friend of mine in Queensland who is busily collecting Poultry books. His interests are mainly in Game Fowl and Cockfighting. I will give him your address and he can write to you know.

I’m afraid I have rambled on a bit this time but trust you will bear with me.

Hoping you are keeping well. Please let me know your private address as I would like to keep up correspondence after your retirement.

Sincerely yours,