October
28, 1985
Good
Morning Bill:
Can you have the enclosed relayed to your leading poultry fanciers
newspaper? However, have a feeling in your researching...that you have come on
to some interesting pictures....drawings.
IN
JUST A WEEK
we
will be on our way, with a group of 18 to attend the World's Largest POULTRY
SHOW in Hannover, West Germany. 20,000 entries is typical, NO SHOW....in the
USA, will compare with it.
THEY
HAVE A WONDERFUL MAGAZINE
published
twice a month, with excellent color pictures. It features chickens, PIGEONS,
game birds, cage birds....and pets. It is terrific. Again, nothing like it
here in the USA.
HOPE
YOUR EYE SIGHT IS BACK TO NORMAL!
Such scares me! Without my health, without health of wife.....which
also includes eye sight....and HEARING, would be impossible to accomplish the
books I plan in the future.
HAVE A SUPER
SPECIAL DAY!
What
did the early chickens look like?
Some
question Darwin theory, origination from Jungle Fowl.
By:
Loyl Stromberg
Many
years ago Albert McGraw of Alabama sent me a "tattered" old chicken
book, printed before photography. There was no binding, the book not complete,
the pages were held together by strands of thread. The illustrations were very
simple by our modern standards were artists renditions. At first I thought the
book might have originated in England, but note the name of a Chicago
publisher, no longer in existence. Also, a few ads in the back, featuring
small egg shipping cartons, that many shippers now would welcome.
This
book mentions chickens most of us never have heard of Bolton Grays,
Chittagongs, Blue Duns, Cochin Chinas and Shanghais. The last two mentioned,
naturally brings to mind our Cochins, but the pictures of them have no
resemblance to the Cochins of today, none with feathered shanks. Their
"type" would never make one even think "COCHINS"!! A few
of us do not accept the Darwin theory that all our
chickens originated from the Jungle Fowl. It does not seem logical that
this theory fits the Brahmas, Cochins and Langshans.
It
has occurred to me that perhaps we can get some idea as to what the early
chickens looked like from ancient paintings of rural and barnyard scenes. Many
of our breeds were developed through the 1800's. Perhaps not all that
important, still it would be interesting to have some idea of what chickens
looked like, before the breeding of our many exhibition chickens. Am sure they
would not be all the same. Likely, varying from one country to another.
Varying as to artists.
I've
taken some preliminary steps to check into it with a good "contact"
at the Wilson Library in the University of Minnesota. He reports there are
considerably over 100 books in their library on the subject of ART. Perhaps
next winter when it gets down to 30 to 40 below here in Northern Minnesota
I'll drive down to Minneapolis for a few days to check into this angle, at
this extensive Library.
In
the meantime, I'd be interested to hear from someone, curious as I am, who
might do some checking at their public Library. Most libraries have copy
machines, so it is important to get copies of the pictures found in those art
books, of the chicken or chickens portrayed in the painting. Write me at Pine
River.