In late August 1945, Dr. George Salmon, Jr. of New Jersey wrote a letter to Duke’s Zoology Dept., asking for help in identifying whether a tibia bone he sent belonged to a duck or to a chicken.

I found the description amusing as to why he wanted to know this as well as the fact that he actually mailed the bone in question.

Equally as amusing to me is that Irving Gray, Chair of the Zoology Dept., took the time to reply.

Just for fun, please see both letters below.

Post contributed by Kim Sims, Technical Services Archivist for the Duke University Archives.