The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1878-10-24

Way back, ever 80 far, in the history
of the world, we run across accounts of
the carrier pigeon.
Some weeks ago, the Professor told
you about the Crusaders, who formed
great armies and marched against the
Turks in the Holy Land. Now, these
Turks used to have carrier pigeons to
take information from one city to
another, or to 6y between different di-
visions Of their armies; but the Crusaders
kept falcons which would chase and
capture the pigeons in the air. Go
further back than this, even, to the
time when Anacreon, q famous Greek
poet, lived in $50 B. c., and you will
find mention of the carrier pigeon.
Let us see what kind of birds they
are, and how their training is accom-
plished. They are variety of the do
nestle pigeon, and have q wonderful
instinct which causes them to fly to
miles away from it. They have been
taken far out of sight of the land, upon
the ocean, and yet have found their
way back to their own cotes again. If
you have ever been to sea, with no
land within sight, you must have no
ticed that the water all around you
seemed to be inclosed by a circle of
horizon, and that your ship was al
ways precisely in tho center of this
circle. One direction looked Just the
same as another to you, and yet these
birds, when let loose, will fly up into
the air from the deck to a great height,
sailing round and round as they 20,
and will then, without hesitation-if the
day be a clear 0ne-set off on their
journey home. It is said that these
birds select the direction by some in
stinct SO wonderful that people cannot
find out what the theory is.
The pigeons are taken when quite
young and trained to fly short distances
at first. These lengths of flights are
gradually increased, and the birds have
been known to fly over a thousand
miles at time.
The letters or messages sent by the
birds are often inclosed in a quill and
fastened to their legs, necks or wings.
Before the invention of telegraphy,
pigeons were often used by capitalists
to carry the changes in the prices Of
stocks and bonds.
During the winter of 1901, when
the City of Paris was besieged, the bal
looms which were sent up always car
ried q number of birds. The Prussians
could follow the balloons, and often
captured them; but when the naviga-
tors escaped the birds could be carried
almost any distance and be sent back
to Paris with valuable dispatches, flying
far over the heads of the enemy lying
at the gates, and out of reach of the
most skillfully sent bullet. During
this war very long dispatches were
micro-photographed and forwarded
safely fastened beneath the pigeons
wings. In foggy weather, or when
snow is on the ground, they have con-
siderable difficulty in finding their way.
There used to be a regular line Of
these birds flown from Halifax, N. S.,
to Boston, Mass, and from Sandy Hook
to New York with the news brought
from Europe by vessels.
But fast as these little creatures fly
the tiny spark of the electric telegraph
flies faster yet, and as a postman and
news agent the birds are nearly useless
in our civilized countries; yet there
will always be tender spot in every
heart warm with love for the gentle
eyed, soft breasted messengers-the
carrier pigeons.-C Christian Union.