Dear Sir,

Many thanks for your kind letter which I purposely delayed answering as you expected to be from home for a few weeks, I am sorry now that I did not reply sooner so as to saved you the trouble of writing again: without a pond of your own I can well understand what a nuisance the geese must be to you & your anxiety to dispose of them forthwith;¹ I have been told that poultry dealers can often tell the sex of young birds, I have found much difficulty in doing so with any certainty, my only guide being the more speedy change of color of the bill from black to orange in young ganders, this sign is evident enough but only answers for full colored birds, for those with white on plumage have colored bills from the beginning if you can send D^r. Meadows² the most backward bird of your 2^nd. hatch I think the probability is he will be fittest for carrying on the testing of the fertility of these crossbred birds for another generation in a straight line

It is very good of you to offer me all your birds but I really could not keep them but I have little doubt but that I could find a good home for the old goose near London but do not yet know the exact address, she would there live with another of her brothers of the same hatch:— I have what I consider a very good water color picture of your pair of birds done by a young animal artist friend of mine³ who has engaged to do what I require in that line & has already painted me a few pictures connected with the subject of domestic animals   should it so happen that you care to see these I would gladly forward them by post for your inspection if you would not mind the trouble of returning them by the same way: & if you could get that of the geese copied into the PZS I should have no objection to lending it for that purpose, as of course I can have none to your using my name, & mentioning the results of experiments I told you of in my last in any paper you may send to the PZS;⁴ To tell you the truth I should like to see the matter thus made public by you, & if the Secretary would accept of a paper from me I should like to state my own deductions from the fact of the fertility of your birds, not by way of controversy between us, but to shew how very opposite explanations can be given of the same fact:⁵ a very old friend of mine (who is a strong evolutionist & has written in the cause) has suggested this plan to me, & my only reason for hesitating to follow his advice, is lest you should think a paper from me written in opposition to your views should be an unhandsome return for all your kindness   I have made several unavailing attempts to bring the Study of domestic animals into the foreground, for I am fully persuaded that its diligent cultivation as a branch of Zoology would tend to solve many mysteries & thus lessen the points of difference between us: On looking over the 1^st. Vol of Loudons Mag of Nat Hist^y. 1829 I was much struck with a passage on p   about the Z Soc “In the first prospectus issued by this Society one of their objects is stated to be “the introduction of new varieties breeds & races of animals for the purpose of domestication &c”⁶   it seems to me that this object has not been so diligently pursued of late as it might have been:

I enclose D^r. Meadows address for the geese & with kind regards & many thanks for your kindness | Believe me | yrs truly | F B Goodacre