Dr Elio Corti
Valenza - Italy

16-2-1995

Dear Elio,

Received your letter, the book and photographs. For this I thank you very much. Van Gink’s drawings are excellent and the book overall is top quality. Although I cannot read Dutch I think I may be able to get a little translation done.

The photos of your flora are really top quality. I have always been interested in trees, shrubs and the likes, having many years ago operated a business propagating and selling this sort of material.

The other photo of yourself and late wife etc. are much appreciated. I am enclosing a recent Australian Poultry magazine and would draw your attention to pages 24 and 25 where you will find out what I look like.

Also at long, last I am able to send you the material I promised. I hope that the material from the American publication is what you required. The origins of the Araucana are very clouded and I feel will always remain so.

Your printer certainly does a top job and your book I am sure will finish up very well.

While I think of it. Dr A.L.Hagedoorn from the Netherlands (one in conjunction with Sykes) wrote a couple of books concerning Poultry breeding which I feel sure you will find useful in your researches on poultry genetics. I think Veronica Mayhew would have them in stock.

I don’t think I mentioned this before. I will keep a lookout for Baroso I1VBI. I do make contact with Italian stations from time to time. Please thank your President for the copy of the national Catalogue.

Yes, I am coming towards 74 years of age and still have much to do in my researches and publication of booklets on different breeds reproduced from the early files. I will keep going as long as I am able. Of course progress is rather slow these days because of my poor eyesight. I have difficulty reading and my writing is not as good as I would like because of the eyesight.

I suffer from glaucoma and macular degeneration and can only hope that the eyesight will not get any worse. I was born with one of my eyes of poor vision and have had cataracts removed from both eyes. When the first cataract on my good eye was removed some years ago after the operation, blood vessels behind the eye ruptured causing somewhat of a problem. However this repaired OK and my sight was OK for a couple of years. The cornea clouded over possibly caused by interference from the lens put into the eye. I had a cornea transplant which was not successful. Then had a second transplant which held in for some years. However the eyesight is impaired, giving the effect that I am looking into a fog.

My own specialist surgeon has been most helpful and has sent me to some specialist friends of his in Sydney who are top men in their field. They have done everything possible. I had to have laser treatment some little time back. However I manage as I have a machine here that assists me with my reading. It does slow down my work.

Otherwise I keep OK at the moment. I had a little touch of angina a few years ago, but medication has kept in check so far.

I have some other material which may be of interest for you which I will copy for and send on later.

With my amateur radio activities I have contact each day with a number of crousing yatchmen, mostly American. Previously some of them have collected material on the chicken in the Pacific. Some of them in the next season are going into the Indonesian area and will be making observations on the Jungle Fowl in that area. We might get some interesting information.

I am a bit behind with my correspondence at the moment, so will close now so I can get this material ready to put in the mail tomorrow.

N.B. Professor Cawley’s article which is enclosed sums up the Araucana pretty well  I believe.

Thanks once again for the material, much appreciated.

Regards.