Professor John L.Skinner
Middleton - Wisconsin- USA

7-4-1986

Dear John,

I received your letter and enclosures from Mrs Banning and Dr Bitgood for which I thank you very much. The letter from Mrs Banning is interesting. I checked back on her original letter and found that I did quote her in my book. It did not occur to me at the theme regarding the pheasant x chicken and fertility of resultant offspring. I have made on initial search through my literature here but have not found anything on it. I’m glad you picked it up for I’m endeavouring to get whatever I write as correct as possible. I will however investigate the matter further. I doubt whether much experimental work has been done in this field and the information from Mrs Banning is quite interesting as the Pheasants and Gallus do have a relationship. Although I know little of the grouse. I have always had a feeling it may have been involved with the Asiatics (Cochins, Langshans, Brahmas) for I think the grouse has feathered legs: I will have to find out more about it. There is one thing about this study I have been doing, there is always something new turning that leads something else. This does however make the exercise interesting and also makes a basis for discussion from which we can perhaps all learn a little more...

I thank you also for the paper from Dr Bitgood. I’m afraid the terminology is above my head but I have contacted someone to explain the terminology to me. However it does appear the Red Jungle Fowl working along these lines seems to be the main species when considering the domestic chicken and sonnerati, varius etc more or less sub species. I might have this wrong but I have quite a few books on genetics etc and will look up some of the terms and endeavour to simplify it down. It is indeed another avenue for study on the origins of the domestic chicken and each piece of information in this field is of much value.

Since I wrote the foregoing, past week I have been in contact with a chap I know near here who runs a Wildlife Park. He advised me that he knows a chap in South Australia also runs a Wildlife Park who crossed a Ring Necked Pheasant with a Domestic Chicken. I have written to this fellow in an endeavour to obtain some details of what occurred with the offspring.

Also I have contacted a geneticist at the nearby Poultry Breeding and Processing Establishment who is going to endeavour to explain the terminology of Dr Bitgood’s paper for me also.

I received the book American Poultry History 1823-1973 in good order and condition. For this I thank you very much. I can assure you it is most appreciated. I have not as yet had time to go through it but can see the value of it in recording the history through the years.

Unfortunately I don’t see anything of this nature being done in Australia. We don’t seem to have the dedication out here that your people in the US have. Here they wait until it’s too late and all the records are lost.

There was talk some few years ago by the Government Departments of Agriculture to do something of this nature, but it just fizzled out. I at the time offered to give what assistance I could as I possess quite a number of old Poultry Newspaper published in Sydney from 1918 to around 1970 which would have provided a lot of information. I know there is also a complete file of a journal published in Victoria available in that State which would have been useful. However unlike the US there appears to be very little published on Poultry in Australia in the 1800’s. I do have A.J.Compton’s Australasian Book of Poultry (1899) which would provide quite a lot of valuable data.

However I think out here if it were a Government project it would involve so much red tape that it could get logged down. I have ideas of doing the histories of the Australia Breeds, i.e. Australian Game, Australian Pit Game, Australorp, Langshan (Asiatic version) but as I’ve probably told you previously obtaining funds to carry out the research and publishing is my stumbling block.

What I have done so far I have had to do at my own expense and there has been little return to fund further work. I have so much material here that needs to be coalated and put down in print that it frustrates me at times, for I feel a lot of this history will be lost for all times.

I am still pursuing avenues for funding these projects. My local member of the Federal Government is working hard for me and although we recently received a knockback from one Government Department he is trying another. I have a bit more meat for the sandwich with the Supplement just published that may help.

Also I have made enquiries with a couple of Foundations who are sending me details of their guidelines for funding projects. The Winston Churchill Foundation in Canberra I believe provides fellowship grants for research overseas for non-academics such as myself. Although this is perhaps not what I really had in mind it could be helpful in furthering my studies. However being 64 years of age may be against me when it comes to something like this. However I will carry on as best I can for I find the study most interesting and satisfying and hope that I can contribute something to the overall picture of the Gallus  species.

I congratulate you and your officers of the American Poultry Historical Society on the excellent job you have done compiling this book. I can appreciate the work that has gone into it. I will be looking forward to receiving a copy of your review of my researches in the American Poultry Historical Society’s Newsletter.

All for now. My kindest regards.