Sent from Henry Gray
15 Aug 1912
Description:

‘Dear Mr Nettleship,

I thank you for your letter and shall be pleased to render Professor Karl Pearson any assistance I possibly can, so therefore you may put him into communication with me. There is one thing he must be careful to avoid and that is distemper, which would, if introduced into his kennel, occasion him a great loss and much disappointment.

It was only a few days ago I thought of writing you in reference to my translation of Dr. Nicholas’ work on Veterinary and Comparative Ophthalmology, of which I have already about 100 pages in the press. I should like you to peruse some of the proofs, especially those dealing with the findus and the albino eye; that is, if it would not be asking too much of you.

No doubt you are aware that the chocolate Pomeranian has a fundus somewhat resembling in pigmentation that of the cinnamon canary, Siamese cat, etc., and that the majority of Pekingese suffer from distichasis [note: ‘congenital absence of the [illeg.] glands, eyelashes growing where these glands should be’]. A very great number of Toy Pomeranians and Japanese and Pekingese spaniels are affected with trichiasis. The blue-eyed cat and “wall-eyed” animals are albinos. The Merle or Arkwright collie with his variegated irides and the Harlequin Great Dane often have correspondingly coloured funduses.

The albino canary from which the British stock of albino canaries were bred was my patient when only 5 or 6 weeks old and then I told Kiesel he had a valuable bird to which he should pay great attention. Intelligent canary breeders have for a very long time seemed to have understood the principles of the breeding of clear-eyed birds and for colour.

Many of the black poms have chocolate blood in them and I once got a chocolate schipperke from pure black parents, without their ancestors, so far as could be ascertained, ever throwing another coloured pup before. I believe the Schipperke is purer in colour ancestry then the pomeranian, of which there are many coloured varieties.

I have taken the liberty of enclosing a discarded proof of my translation. Do not return it.

Yours very truly,

Henry Gray.’