17-12-1995

Dear Bill,

Very happy in receiving badges and spoon of the Club. I like very much these things, and I will keep them as a great remembrance of the nice days passed with all of you.

Finally I have seen the slides of my holidays in Australia and I will print them, not myself, because I have not the possibility to do this, I can only from negative. This was a choice when I needed to by the developing machine.

The phone cards of Joyce are very nice, and now I desire to collect them, because I have other two phone cards from Ceska Republica which are very beautiful. Yesterday, from Ceska Republica, I received a very appreciated gift from Ing Tulacek: the poultry standard. For the moment I know only that Ing Tulacek is old as you are, and the rest of the long letter is in the hands of Karolina, the woman of my friend Giovanni - John) who has accompanied me during the trip in Ceska Republica. When translated, I will communicate to you the subject of the letter. think that you will meet Ing Tulacek when, in May, in Bergamo, near Milano, there will be hold the Concilium Ecumenicum, the Entente Européenne, of all the Presidents and Secretaries of Poultry Breeders of Europe. I told to my Federal President about your presence in Italy during this period, and he will be very happy to have you as guest at this meeting. Also the Ceska standard is with Karolina, but when will possess newly, will photocopy some drawn which are very beautiful.

The ex libris are narrow, but it is because the shape of the image is long. I think that is OK. The most difficult point was in writing obliquely always and progress. I have tried in different ways, but for the moment this is the best I can offer to you. In other envelope you can find some articles, one is by Irina Moiseyeva about Russian breeds. have now a photocopier and think that have resolved the problems for your eyesight in enlarging the papers. Enlarged also you will find the small part of the book of Darwin, The voyage of the Beagle, where I have found a reference to the fowl in South America. I have read with sufficient care all this part about South America, but the sole fowl he has met is in the enclosed page. Please, if it is not too hard for you, check yourself if what I affirm is true. So, not Araucana, not blue eggs during the visits of Darwin to the Chile and to Northern territories.

Good you have sent all the books to Romanov. I think that they will be very useful to him. I am waiting from him a reply to my letter and to all the materials I have sent, but nothing. In this moment, Sunday 13 o'clock, nobody is at home answering to the telephone. I will try again.

I informed Carefoot about your trip to Europe. When your Travel Agent will give the right information and we will know what to do, I will inform Clive exactly about your arrival.

My biggest compliments for your article on Avicultura. It is very clear, plain, very deep and easy to understand. I have sent it in Russia and Ukraine, even in Naples to Prota, and I think that they will be very happy in receiving your paper. I have noted cruris, the cause of my first letter to you!!!

Avicultura is a good magazine, as you tell, overall because the photos are very nice. But the Editor is not caring of the precision, and when not busy and when I have collected some other mistakes, I will write to him. Also the Editor of Fancy fowl  is not accurate, as you may seen about XV111 instead of XVIII, for example. Some mistakes are difficult to avoid, but other only require a bit of patience. Differently, Australasian Poultry is very good on this point of view. And I can say that also the articles, in this magazine, are always interesting and various.

About Tony, please let me know if they have received the coins I have sent, because if the coins was lost, so I need send them in other way when I have others. Also for me was very good in hearing your voice, and excuse me if my English is ever an English of a child. Your material is in progress, yes, I am very busy, and even if I retired December 2nd (because of remaining holidays of this year, and I will officially retire January 1st) my days are ever full, they have few, too few hours, as also you expressed frequently in your correspondence.

Six days ago I was in Pavia to give another part of my book to review, and I hope to enter in touch with the Poultry's Scientists of the University of Milano to review the specific genetics of the fowl. I have spoken by telephone with Dr Pignattelli, a colleague of Romanov, Secretary of the Italian Branch of the WPSA (world poultry ??) as Romanov is for the Ukrainian. Our conversation was very interesting, and overall he is interested in people writing about the fowl. So, he is organising a meeting with Dr Cavalchini of Milano to review the special genetics of the fowl.

I wrote to Hoffmann and he has kindly replied to me. You will find his letter in the other envelope. I quote a part of the letter I wrote in replying to him:

Dear Dr Hoffmann,

My compliments. I hope, when I will be young as you, to be young as you are! The world is your home! China, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Paris.... Overall, you are young in the soul.

Enclosed you find an article I have read during my fly to Moscow, and I think that you are a clear exemplary of our human species possessing several genes of long life.

My book is not very long because I spend much time about the origin of the fowl, but because it is a treatise of all that the breeders must know to understand what is a molecule, a color, a guanine, a carotenoid, the glaciations, the trans-Pacific connections etc. Here, in Italy, the literature about all these problems is very scarce and very few people knows the English language. For example, I know very well the French (and I don't use nearly never this language for my update and for correspondence), I have studied a little the English myself before to begin the University, with a little practice in Kenya and Australia. I know the Portuguese because I was in Brazil during 3 months. But, the Italian breeders sometime know only the dialect!!! In this way, if they will affirm that it's impossible to find information, this fact will not be true. My book will be a Summa Gallicana, as it exists the Summa Teologica !!! In this way it was also possible for me to better understand the medicine, my work.

Hoffmann is a very interesting fellow, and hope one day to meet him. About Professor Prota, will write to him today, and will ask from him an affirmation which is every day more necessary: there is only one type of cells producing feather’s pigments (melanins) not two types. I quote the important conclusion based on biochemistry observations, referred in Prota's book I have sent to David:

the marked difference about the pigment's colour is based in a genetic difference of the levels of GSH (glutathione, a substance rich in sulphur) and not on the type of the melanocytes which are present.

I will send him also papers regarding plumage colour genetics and even feathers, especially white feathers with brassiness, hoping that he will accept to determine the nature of the compound responsible of the brassiness.

Good for David working about OEG in Australia. This fact is very interesting, and signifies that David is going a little better with all his problems. If I can help him in some way, please let me know.

You have had rain, we have had snow, no too much, and now the rain has dissolved it. I hope to have a little bit of snow for Xmas. So it’s better stand home at the warm!

I am not sure, but may be that in January I go in Brazil. I have ringed to Eduardo to prepare a trip to the Araucània, but I have seen that, in the map, by air directly, they are nearly 3,000 km. But have one idea to realise: during the travel by car, may be along the Paranà river, to stop in some farm asking if there are blue-green eggs or not. You know that in the Eduardo's area there are these eggs, and this area is the Atlantic coast. But, previously I need wait for my mother recover from wrist's fracture happened 8 days ago. May be this is done at the middle of January. I will inform you about my movements.

I will write to Joyce directly in sending some music tapes, and telling about collection of phone cards. I embrace you with all my best wishes for the arriving new year, which will seen us again together, in Italy. What was the Xmas gift for Bob? A Risotto ai 4 formaggi?