Mr
Pat Rich
Monash University - Clayton - Vic - Australia
4-6-1980
Dear
Mr Rich,
I
read with interest the article Bird
history - The first one hundred millions years which appeared in
Oct/Dec 1979 of Australian Natural History prepared by yourself and Rita Berra.
Although
not am academic myself I breed domestic chickens (Bantams) and over the past
few years have been doing private research on the origin, evolution and
distribution of the domestic chicken.
The
project began when I set out to trace the history of the Pekin Bantam but I
found that one thing led to another and I found myself delving into the
origins etc of the domestic chicken in general. It has proved very interesting
though frustrating as must of the material available was purely hypothetical
and I now feel that the answers must come from the archaeologists,
anthropologists and persons such as yourselves who can furnish positive
evidence.
Unfortunately
very little importance has been placed on the chicken. However I feel that man’s
distribution throughout the world is tied with the domestic animals as where
man went his animals went with him.
I
have the material you mentioned from John Ostrom of Yale University as I
during my research I have corresponded with him. I also have the book Fossil
Birds.
As
I mentioned I breed Pekin Bantams and at times have noted amongst them the
claws on the front of the wings appearing as in the Archæopteryx. I mentioned
this fact to Professor Ostrom and he advised that this had occurred in a Zoo
hatching (1978) in an East African ibis. Quote from him: “Presumably these
represent a sport or the recurrence of a primitive condition, perhaps from a
near Archaeopteryx state. These claws are different from the spur that occurs
in your spur winged plover or screamer which is more like the spur on the
shank or metatarsus of galliform (pheasants and chickens) birds”.
The
spurs in the wings on my birds were in a much smaller form of course than
those of the Archaeopteryx. My quest for information on this subject just
seems to lead on from one thing to another but as the origin of the domestic
chicken does seem to be somewhat clouded I feel that any lead I may get
requires following on.
Charles
Darwin concluded that all domestic chickens emanated from the Red Jungle Fowl
(Gallus Bankiva ). Without discrediting Darwin unfortunately he was
not aware of Mendel’s experiments in genetics and it is the opinion of
geneticists - Bateson, Punnett and others - that perhaps Bankiva was not the
sole progenitor of the chicken.
I
am at the moment exploring the possibilities that there were a number of
species or subspecies, possibly 3, perhaps emanating from a common extinct
ancestor and branching into 3 species, Bankivoids, Malays and Asiatics.
Finsterbusch (1929) put forward a positive argument in favour of at least 2
species (Bankivoids and Malays) mainly because of the bone structure.
I
am also working on the distribution question. This situation is very heavy,
but I have had a couple of leads recently. Chicken bones have been unearthed
in North East Thailand (dating back 3500 BC) and also on Watom Island, New
Britain. Unfortunately there is no positive identification as to whether they
belonged to the Bankivoid or Malay. I am following this lead and may
eventually get some results.
My
purpose in writing to you is that you may perhaps offer some suggestions as to
the line of research I might follow or perhaps you may feel you have some
information which could assist the research. I would appreciate any
suggestions you may put forward.
Perhaps
because of their frailness and being subject to predators, finding fossil
remains of birds will remain very elusive, however I guess we must press on.
I
hope eventually to prepare some notes on the material I have collected and
conclusions.
Sincerely
yours,