Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-11-20
CARRIER-PIGEONS.
Correspondence Boston Com. Bulletin.)
HAyRE- France. Oct 1 1885


| Correspondence Boston Com. Bulletin.)
HAvRE, France, Oct. 1, 1868.
| | trust you will not deem me .ftighty if l
| take up the subject of carrier-pigeons, but
| as this fancy is now attracting some atten-
ton in Europe, have thought it would
be interesting to say few words on this
matter, which has been brought to my
special attention by the sending of nearly
thousand of these birds from here last
Sunday. The pigeons were sent by rail
| from Brussels, stored away in square
baskets containing each about thirty birds.
Ill arrived in safety but in somewhat
| dirty condition. For three days they
were kept on view at the Marine Exhibi-
| ton, and at 8 o'clock on Sunday morning,
with one grand flutter, they sailed off for
| their destination. The start had but
momentary interest, for sweeping wildly
up into the strong currents of southerly
and autumnal gale they were soon lost to
sight Scarce three minutes elapsed after
| opening the cages before not pigeon was
seen. Subsequently learned that about
| fifty, who were overpowered by the gale,
or who did not know their way, lit on the
| house of our Consul here, and at Rouelle
| g lot also alighted. AS it was, the leaders
Of the racers did not arrive at Brussels
| until after three o'clock in the afternoon,
| whereas if they had made their usual time
| they should have been in at few minutes
| past one o'clock. These carriers belong
| to Belgian societies, who make speciality
of carrier training more for past-time than
profit.
| Carriers can and do often attain space
OF 100 miles per hour, and when well
| trained never fail to make a straight
course unless driven off by a hawk, when
| they are sometimes so confused as to lose
their way, and it may be days before they
| find it. Sir John Ross, the Arctic explorer,
| dispatched a pair of young pigeons on the
| 9th or 18th of October, $780, from Assist
| ance Bay, little to the west of Yelling
| ton Sound, and on the 18th of October a
pigeon made its appearance at the dove
| cote in Ayrshire, Scotland, from whence
Sir John had taken them. The distance
| between the two places is about 1000
| miles. The doyecote was under repair at
| this time, and the pigeons belonging to it
had been removed, but the servants of
the house were struck with the appear
ance of the stranger. After short stay
it went to the pigeon house of neighbor-
ing proprietor, where it was caught and
sent back to the lady who originally owned
| it She at once recognized it as one of
| those which she had given to Sir John
Ross; but to put the matter to test, it
was carried to the pigeon house, when out
of the many inches it directly went to the
| one in which it had been Matched.
am well acquainted with gentleman,
| a resident of Connecticut, who was noted
| for the fine brood of carriers he kept. A
negro servant in his employ sold one of
his flock to a gentleman who resided in
Canada. This transaction was unknown
to the proprietor. One day he noticed his
pet bird resting on the gable of the barn,
and felt assured it had performed more
than an ordinary journey, but the servants
could not explain to him anything salts
factory. A few days afterward he re-
ceived a letter from the Canada gentle
man, which stated that he had paid SIS
to the other gentleman's servant for car
rier-pigeon which had flown; and sup
posing that he would return home, he
| wrote, asking him to forward the bird by
| the first opportunity.
A few months afterward another of the
| flock was disposed of in like manner,
and the bird carried in safety to Albany,
where, when thought to be sufficiently
weaned and domesticated, it was let out
into one of the rooms of the Stanwix
Hall. CHANGING to open a window, the
| bird took advantage and started for it's
old nome in Connecticut, where it arrived
in few hours The purchaser, having
become very much attached to the bird,
wrote for it, and in this manner the facts
were ascertained, as l have related them.
During Webster's time, and on the &C.
casion OF one of his great speeches in
Boston, some of the New York papers
sent carrier pigeons to your city to bring
| home the speech. AS soon as delivered
| tcd If ohoI -, l. 81
| and he was started. Unfortunately, he
encountered hawk, and after deal of
maneuvering, he succeeded in eluding his
pursuer, and tired, exhausted, and having
lost his way, he settled in the barn-yard Of
| Judge -, who, attracted by the parcel
| he had on his legs, caught him, and, after
reading the speech, scarce delivered two
hours, he tookIthe bird to Bridgeport and
sent the speech forward to its destination.
| Before the day of telegraphs, the carrier
pigeon was somewhat extensively used by
the enterprising newspapers. If am not
mistaken, the New York Jaurnal of Com |
naerce, Courier and Enquirer, and the Her.
aid relied upon them for the transmission |
OF certain kinds of news. Except by the |
meeting of hawks, they seldom, if ever,
tail to go straight to their destination.
Naturalists have always been puzzled to |
account LOT Inc peculiar powers Which en- |
able this bird to find its way home from |
immense distances. The majority seem to |
agree that it is enabled to do this mainly |
by its strength Of vision. The generally |
accepted theory is that at home the pig |
cons are accustomed to mount to a very
great height, and to perform at lofty ele-
walton circles constantly increasing in d. |
ameter; that when let loose at moderate |
distance, say hundred miles from home,
they mount as usual, and with far |
reaching glance recognize some object
which they had been accustomed to see
in their home journeys; this object is a
sufficient guide, and the birds instantly |
shape their course for it. The attachment
of the carrier-pigeon to its birth place is
well understood, and to this, in conjunc-
ton with its wonderful strength of vision, |
must be attributed the certainty of its
flight homeward. When desired to per-
form longer journeys, so long that a
glimpse of familiar landmarks is out of
the question, they must be carefully train
cd and made acquainted With at least 2