Dr
Elio Corti
Valenza
- Italy
2-12-1994
Dear
Elio,
I
thank you for your letter, photocopies and also the card you sent me from
Utrecht. It seems you met some interesting people in the Netherlands. I used
to communicate with Anna Banning Vogelpoel in the Netherlands but I haven’t
heard from her for some time. She was very knowledgeable on chickens.
I
apologise for not sending my card for your cousin last time but I remembered
after I had posted your letter. I have marked the frequency bands I operate
on. Your cousin will understand, as regards times he will know when times are
right for communication.
You
seems to be getting on well with your book and I think it best you edit it
yourself. The laser printer sounds very good. Will it be in English or your
own language?
I
cannot read Portuguese but I might be able to find someone who can translate.
The only name I recognised in the Dinosaur article was John Ostrom of Yale
University who I have corresponded with in earlier years. He has done a lot of
study on the Archæopteryx, the first fossil bird.
I
haven’t gone through the material on the Japanese birds yet but I do have a
beautiful book with large colour photo of Japanese chickens and text on them,
some of which has been translated. It was sent to me by a Japanese radio
amateur who was also a chicken farmer.
Regarding
the situation with the Gallus Bankiva
I believe it is pretty sure that Gallus
Bankiva (Red Jungle Fowl) had a number of hens around him. I will have to
search information about Gallus varius.
I
am sending photocopies of part of the paper written by Nicholas Collias of the
University of California - Los Angeles. Collias studied the Red Jungle Fowl in
the wild in Malaya and Thailand and his text I think answers your question. I
would say that Bankiva is polygamous. I will try and find information on the varius. I will endeavour to get a copy of a colour photo of the
Bankiva.
I
received your other letter regarding the Araucana. I think Caudill’s book
will be difficult to obtain. It may be available in the United States. However
I will get the chapter copied and send it to you. Catty Brunson’s book is
useful. Different to Caudill’s. If you write to Loyl Stromberg, tell him I
advised you to write. I think he might be able to supply the Brunson’s book.
Title is Araucana - rings on their ears. Stromberg may also be able to help
you with Caudill’s book.
I
have other material here on Araucana which I will get copied for you and send
it on. There is a paper by William Cawley of the Texas A&M University,
some pages in Spanish from South America and some other material I have
collected.
I
have concluded that the Araucana is no way near pure breed. The origin is
unknown and attempts to gather pure Araucana specimens have been unsuccessful.
I have proposed a possible answer to the origin in my Chicken bone booklet
based on the genetic link between the Pea Comb and the Blue Egg Shell
(Punnett). However this is only an hypothesis but I haven’t read anything
that offers a logical answer to the origin.
An
Academic from the Australian National University who I used to correspond
with, prepared a paper where he suggested the blue egg Chicken may have
originated on Easter Island. The evidence shows that this is very unlikely. I
told him so and I believe he was must upset that I disagreed.
You
will note with some of the material I am sending to support my argument. Thor
Heyerdahl confirmed there were no blue egg shelled chickens on Easter Island
when he took his expedition there.
The
only trait that seems to be reasonably true is the blue egg shell. Even then
the colours the colours vary. Some have Pea Combs, some have Straight Combs,
some are Rumpless, some are not. There are a number of variations in the ear
tufts and it appears nothing except the egg shell can be relied on to breed
true. Cawley in his paper summed the situation up pretty well I feel.
Easter
Island I think has the blue egg trait evident now in their chickens but of
course these would no doubt have come from Chile who controls the island.
It
will take me a week or so to get the photocopying done and will send it all
together.
I
think I have answered all the questions you asked. I will endeavour to find
out something on Gallus varius. Give
me a little time.
I
will look for a Caudill’s book but I don’t think there is much chance in
Australia. The US might be the best place to look for one.
So
until next time. Have you received the Pekin book yet? Sea mail takes awhile
unfortunately. All for now.
Regards.