Dr
Clive Carefoot
Preston - England
3-5-1986
Dear
Clive,
My
apologies for not answering your letter of 24-12-85 sooner but I’ve actually
had pretty rough year one way another, consequently my correspondence has
lagged. However I’m starting to catch up on it and I am feeling a little
better.
Perhaps
I told you on operation on my eye last May to have a cataract removed and a
lens implant. Normally a simple operation. However I was not so lucky and
finished up having three operations as well as laser treatment. Really I’m
lucky to have the eye at all. The overall sight has improved but not as much
as it should. The side effect from the anaesthetic and heavy medication
affected me psychologically and as I have had over the past few years a number
of personal problems and am living on my own I didn’t help.
However
I think the worst is over and I guess there are plenty worse off than me. As
they say You saw the man with no shoes,
then you saw the man with no feet.
I
am beginning to get my act together again and have completed the typing of the
material for the Gallus species.
This discusses the Jungle Fowls and the possibilities of the Malays and
Asiatics (Cochin, Brahma, Langshan) being different species to Gallus Bankiva
etc.
Yes,
you and I are at different ends of the spectrum in our studies, however both I
feel are necessary and if we can contribute something to the overall picture I’m
sure we will both get satisfaction from it. As you are aware, my knowledge of
genetics is pretty limited. Both, you and Fred Jeffrey, have assisted me in
understanding the basics. This has been much appreciated.
You
know it surprises me that poultry breeders I know here in Australia .mostly
have no idea of the value of genetics in the breeding of fowls. The majority
of them have no desire to learn about the subject either.
Glad
to hear that you have Creative Poultry
Breeding off the pad. There is no doubt the cost of publishing is
expensive. I don’t know how many copies you had printed. Glad to know that
you are getting some return. Hope it works out alright cost wise is the reason
my efforts are put out in a pretty amateurish form. I just didn’t have the
money to get a good job done. I just felt I had to get it into print and it
was the only way I could see of doing it.
I
have been endeavouring to get some financial assistance from the Government,
but I don’t have much hopes, only negative replies.
Yes,
I think it is a wise move to sell them privately, from what I can gather
publishers are not the easiest to deal with.
Would
like to get a copy of the paper from British
Poultry Science. You sent me a paper previously. I guess this one follows
it on.
I
was invited to prepare a paper on my researches concerning Asia and Pacific
area by Professor Solheim of Asian
Perspectives who is the Editor. It is a journal published by the
University of Hawaii and relates to the History and Anthropology of the
Pacific and Asian area.
I
prepared a paper which I sent over to them. The answer was that a copy would
be sent to an eminent palaeontologist in England for review and after some
editing and rewriting it should be suitable for publication. This figures as
you would be aware of my rambling style of writing would need some work on it
to suit the format of a scientific journal. Hopefully however I will get my
message across.
OK
regarding the trip to Australia not materialising. Unfortunate but something
may crop up in future years. I can’t see myself ever getting over to your
side of the world as much as I would like to.
A
chap who is a geneticist at a nearby poultry processing firm went to the UK
late 1985. I gave him your address. Don’t know whether he made any contact
with you.
Thank
you for checking out the Barred information. I will pass the further info onto
the chap who is working on them. I was aware of the fact the Cuckoo was a fast
featherer. Some years ago Fred Jeffrey asked me to check on the Cuckoo Pekins
here as regards the rate of fathering. I did this and found that they were
fast featherers using Hutt as a reference.
Well
Clive, must press on. Good to hear from again. We are coming up to winter here
but it is very dry, in fact inland and further Northwest have had a drought.
All
the best now.