STROUD ROBERT: (1890-1963) American Prisoner and Ornithologist, known as The Birdman of Alcatraz, an

STROUD ROBERT: (1890-1963) American Prisoner and Ornithologist, known as The Birdman of Alcatraz, an
STROUD ROBERT: (1890-1963) American Prisoner and Ornithologist, known as The Birdman of Alcatraz, and considered to be one of the most notorious criminals in American history. A.L.S., As Ever, Bob, Robert Stroud 594, two pages, 4to, Alcatraz, California, 21^st October 1944, to his friend Fred E. Daw, president of the Chicago Bird Club. Stroud acknowledges receipt of his correspondent's letter and continues 'I have had a letter from Mark at last, two of them in one day, in fact, but still practically no news about the book. He simply says “Upon my return I found several book orders and some for the clubs……” And that is that. In August he told me he still owed the printer $500. Now he tells me of $624 additional expenses and says he owes them $1624. He doesn't mention what the other $500 is for. I did have a wonderful letter from Dr. Levi, author of “The Pigeon”, president of “Palmetto Pigeon Plant”…….He has a wonderful plant (30,000 birds) and has himself carried on a lot of research on diseases. My book made a real hit with him. He likes my independent attitude. He seems to have gotten a kick out of what I did to my friend Durant, but says he is glad I didn't give his book the Durant treatment. Well, I wouldn't, because he is not a stuffed shirt. He says there are not too many minds like mine in the U.S. to-day. I am sure we are going to be good friends. He has a very wide acquaintance among scientists, and I am sure he will be doing a lot of missionary work', writing further on the subject of birds, 'I took my definition of “Sib Bred” from old J. C. Edwards. He is the first one who recommended the use of “Sib-Bred” birds, and he based his advice on their use in mule breeding with Red Polls and Goldfinches. Since they have no color to amount to anything, the red from the male often shows in the hybrid. House mentions their use but not the reason in his book on male breeding. I think most everyone makes allowance for Carter. He is undoubtedly becoming a little childish. I give the “Sib Breds” first choice if one wants to produce a clear rose colour and even marks; but for real red I would choose the self green buff hens. If she has been bred for buff feathers and no marks for several generations, so much the better. You see, only black skin cells will produce good red color, and they can only do it with buff feathers. I have tried both green and cinnamon, as you know. The best birds come from green buffs - and I think I raised some pretty good cinnamon-orange, too' and continuing to switch to the subject of teeth, 'Did you get your new teeth, Fred? A discussion here that started as a joke has given me a new idea. Some people grow three sets of teeth. This must be controlled by a hormone. The epithelial islands of the thymus gland secret a hormone of unknown affect. They are active during gestation; in most persons they are absorbed at the beginning of adolescence, but in some cases they persist for life. They persist in a shark, and he grows all the teeth he needs. An angleworm can grow a whole new head. I have been kidding a friend that I would grow him new teeth with extract of angleworm. But it is more than a joke. Man has almost as many tooth buds as a shark; their growth must be influenced by some hormone; it should be a simple problem in bio-chemistry to find the substance and inject it. If I ever get a laboratory I think I will try it. Toads can grow new feet only under certain conditions. They would make good test animals. If a man could find this hormone, it really would be something'. Several passages within the letter have been underlined in indelible pencil. A few very minor, light stains, otherwise VG