Dear Sir,

I have sent to Prof. Flower as you directed—a package inclosing in alcohol—one pair of wings say 10 mo^s old, one pair young say, 10 days—one gander’s wing 3 mo^s old. and the old gander’s wing that received the injury.¹

My delay answering your sincere favor of 14 Apl. will not seem neglectful when I say it comes out of waiting for wings.² During Holidays some of the geese were sold. And the day after your letter was received four having malformed wings were stolen—leaving but one goose & one gander having such wings. Wishing to preserve the feature the owner would not consent to disposing of the young birds of this only goose; moreover I could not select those affected. I noticed them from a few days after birth almost every day. (as they frequent a small creek along my route home) and I could notice nothing indicating the peculiarity to about the fifth week I should think— At that time my walk was changed for perhaps ten days when you may imagine the surprised pleasure I had seeing their young lively primary feathers extended in their angular fashion. Now I do not say the muscular affection existed or did not exist unseen previously by me, only it was not apparent only it was not apparent upon repeated attentions.

Now about this time a goose having normal wings had two young and a special angular character of the tip of the wing was noticed by the owner who sent for me to witness it. two or 3 days after birth. They died soon after and I procured the wings of one of them which I send— I could not find the other—and I do not know if these will prove interesting or not.

A few days since the cars ran over six of the flock and fortunately one of this season’s birth. They did not report it to me until yesterday when I found the wing quite decomposed but perhaps not enough to destroy all purposes of dissection—

Fortunately also the old gander has been neither killed, sold or stolen but is saved for your most complimentary honors to him, and his injured wing goes along.

I haven’t “very good eyes” but I would wager a Kingdom he is the special authority of the first malformed young. The other pair of wings I send were from a goose killed Christmas perhaps 10 months old. They were dried but will be softened likely upon their arrival. In this case both wings were malformed.

I will now answer your questions.³ The owner of these geese bought the eggs producing the old gander & goose from another party in whose flock no peculiarity of wing or leg or of any kind existed previously or since— His injury was in the september following his birth   The first young were born of his mate the following spring. The owner distinctly remembers the circumstance of his injury and feels very sure there was no blood attending it— she says “it wasn’t sore, just the bone broken no suppuration nothing, only like it is now only more so”.

I have thought that the long repeated efforts of arighting the position of the wing may account for this partial recovery. The wing upon dissection may reveal a compound fracture—or may be only dislocation I could not tell— She says it is not so “plain” as it was for some time after the injury, but whether this concerns bone or muscle report sayeth not. Anyway she seems certain no blood attended it.

I would say that the young of this year—those whose parent was malformed were only half malformed—three out of six. & they only in one wing.

I am sorry the depletion of the flock made it impossible to procure you young birds, as nothing would have given me more pleasure than sending them to you, as the special inquiry seems left unanswered as to the time of appearance of the feature. There is no doubt I “guess” that it was there before I saw it, as it was decided as ever afterwards at that time. Perhaps the absence of the primary feathers concealed its nature to me—& perhaps all this is gratuitous—

I hope what I send will prove of enough interest to repay you for the care you took in so kindly prosecuting the case. I felt it warranted an accurate analysis and this meant reporting it to you.

I need not say what pleasure your communications give us, nor with what interest we will await your final relation of the case & its bearings.

Respectfully | R. A. Blair.