Sent from Edward Nettleship
12 Jan 1909
Description:

‘My dear Pearson,

I believe spaniel is the right word; Mrs Douglas Murray, who has helped me a good deal about them, uses the word in one of her letters: “the origin of these spaniels” &c.

The point about higher & less high mammals had not occurred to me, though one had thought there might easily be differences between man & most of the others, both as to albinism & other things. Then[?] I thought that albino ferrets (which by the way are “higher”) & rabbits were a sort of permanent breed & bred true, but perhaps I am wrong & they are all what is called hap-hazard, i.e. undesignedly extracted. One wd. think this would be known for ferrets anyhow.

I have just been told of a peculiar breed of siamese cats, - probably you know of them-; “chocolate” fur with “white” or “pink” or “green” eyes (muddle between iris & pupil, & between pupil of albino seen 1st opposite the tapetum then opposite ordinary red choroid); said also to have a peculiar kink in the tail, from birth? Somebody at Shotover (Oxford) said to have them.

All you suggest about propagation & record of dogs is very attractive, but I am not sure the job would not be too big for me. Anyhow we have not got the pups yet.

I am enquiring as to the stud book; there is certainly some record & some sort of official registration, whatever that means.

I am all safe[?] as to the mice experiments.

You shall see the Pekingese pedigree soon; there may be a few more cases to come in yet.

...’