Nick Romanowski
School of Psychology
Deakin University - Victoria - Australia

14-7-1986

Dear Nick,

I was delighted to receive your letter and comments on the origins etc of the domestic fowl. Good to know that there is someone else in Australia is interested in the subject.

As you were loaned the Chicken Bone Recoveries  I am enclosing a copy for yourself as well as a copy of the Supplement to it which contains feedback from Chicken Bone Recoveries and further information that came to hand. As you will observe this information proved I feel was of quite an important nature.

I have also almost completed the printing of the next book in the Origin etc series The Gallus species, which discusses the Jungle Fowl and the possibility of the Malay and Asiatics (Brahma, Langshan, Cochin) as being distinct species from the Bankivoids. I will send you a copy when ready (about middle of August)Hopefully there will be other books in the series:

1 Covering the evolution of birds from the Dinosaurs through Archaeopteryx etc

2 Early and

3 Late history of the domestic fowl, and

4 Distribution and diffusion through the world.

In 1982 I also published a 187 pages book on the Pekin Bantam in Australia, not connected with the origins series. Your comments were very interesting and I would like to use your information in the Gallus species with due acknowledgement of course. If you let me know fairly quickly I will still be able to get it in at the end of the book. My idea is to put all comments, theories etc such as yours together in print in an endeavour to stimulate further interest and comment on the subject. This has been working for as you will see from the Supplement quite a bit of ongoing material come out of Chicken Bone Recoveries.

Fine you being a zoologist but having an interest in domestication of plants, animals etc. I guess you have access to Darwin’s The variation of Plant and Animals under Domestication (my edition is 1896). Another good reference is Man across the sea put out by the University of Texas. It discusses most things in separate chapters. Professor George Carter of Texas A&M University did the chapter on the question of pre-Columbian chickens.

I correspond with him and he has been most helpful. He believes there were pre-Columbian chickens etc but he says most of the authorities think chicken bones as being intrusive just as you say. They don’t want to know therefore no dating no evidence.

Eventually we may get someone over there to stand up and he courted your comments via Bering Straight I think would fall in with George Carter’s idea. He is Professor of Geography. I have received a letter from Professor Cawley also at Texas A&M and have sent him my material. Waiting for his comments. He is not a good correspondent I am told but I believe very knowledgeable on the subject. I have also been told he is doing a book on the Araucana don’t know how far down the track he is.

Regarding my hypothesis on the blue egg shell origin  I was aware that the shell is blue right through, George Carter suggested the red brown but I have however received a bundle of material on the blue egg subject from Professor Ralph Somes of the University Connecticut. He has done quite a bit of research on the subject. As soon as I get the chance I will photocopy it for you and send it on. The origins of Araucana is still somewhat clouded as is the existence of pre-Columbian chickens in the Americas. I have written to South America but received nothing really on the Araucanas. I believe the Araucana Indians themselves are now more or less extinct so this may make the road a little harder.

I realise my hypothesis is not conclusive by any means. However someone who reads it may have something to add to it. We have so much to learn yet.

I am not an academic myself. My interest stemmed from exhibiting and breeding fowls and I have found the subject quite fascinating and challenging. Yes, our problem here in Australia is that we are not close to the action and it is necessary to do a lot of writing overseas in an endeavour to obtain material. I have a pretty extensive library of old poultry books but that is not good enough. You have to chase the information.

I have a couple of contacts in New Zealand, Dr Green, University of Auckland who has recently been up to Watom Island and Professor Higham who has last year been to NE Thailand again for the second time. I am waiting to get reports from them.

I would be pleased to have a copy of Savers’s paper. If you have the references as to when it was published in, I might be able to help getting hold of it. I have a good friend Dr Longnecker at the National Agricultural Library in US. He may be able to locate it.

Your thoughts on the possible entry of chickens and people to Americas via Bering Strait is strengthened by the discovery of chicken bone in Northern China (5000 BC) and I believe a current travels north from Japan in the Northern Pacific then South down the West coast of the US. Lots of possibilities.

I believe Heyerdahl’s theories of sea travel are quite sound. Ra, Kon Tiki and later Tigris, at least he proved it could have happened that way. The unfortunate thing is that it’s very hard to get conclusive evidence. I have been pushing the point that ongoing study should be done on any bones recovered.

The overall subject covers so many of the sciences which makes it so much more interesting. I have been researching perhaps for some 10 to 12 years and will carry on as long as I can. The drawback is I have to do the typing, printing on a duplicator and funding (which is beginning to run dry). I have had no success so far obtaining funding for the research and publication. I have made approaches to both State and Federal Government.

Let me know if I can use your comments and I would be interested to receive your comments on the Supplement.

Sincerely yours,