St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-10-30
PlGEON-FLYlNG.

The Objects for Which the Birds ara
Trained by European Governments.
Modern pigeon-flying may be said to
have received its greatest impulse from
the Franco-German war, when the only
messengers that could pass from with.
out the iron girdle that surrounded i'm.
prisoned Paris were the intelligent high.
lying pigeons. As soon as the war was
over the military authorities of the con.
tnent seriously took in hand the appli-
cation of pigeon-fying TO military pur-
poses. In several instances there was
the familiar difficulty to be overcome OF
driving new ideas into old heads. Ig-
norance Of the subject had to be CON
tended against, but this did not prevent
the expression of opinions, and now
there are some fifty military pigeon sta
mons on the continent of Europe, and
FULLY half million of trained pigeons
available. At the present moment Eng
land stands alone among the leading
European nations in having no military
pigeon system.
In Germany, Austria, France, Italy,
Russia and Portugal such regular pig
con systems exist, and every encourage
ment is given to private breeders by Sc
caring reduction in railway rates and in
Offering prizes for the races, the socie-
ties that avail themselves of these ad-
vantages, however, being required to
train their birds in such directions as
may be fixed by the Minister of War,
directions being selected solely upon
strategetical considerations.
Germany, France and Italy are some
what in advance of other nations in
these matters. Under the fostering
care of the respective War Ministers
private flying clubs here have during
the past few years enormously increased
in number. In Germany alone there
are said to be $50 such clubs, while the
birds belonging to the War Department
number about 6,00O. In France the
number of clubs is reckoned at 800, and
census of all trained pigeons is made
annually.
At Lille there are 5000 trained pig.
cons. which has enabled the War Depart
ment to dispense with the military loft
which was formerly established there,
and to rely entirely upon privately
trained birds.
The primary object of having these
enormous flights of pigeons is to secure
means of communication with invested
fortresses in the event of siege. This
is not, however, the limit of their use
fHlness. They are intended to be used
as secret messengers, to be surrepti-
tiously liberated by agents or spies who
may be in the midst of any enemy,
either in an occupied district or in the
enemy's country. That it is the in
tention of European powers to make use
of these birds for such purpose
does not admit of doubt. Ac-
cording to paragraph which APP
peared in most of the French
newspapers few weeks ago, pigeon
bearing message inserted in quill
was recently shot ON French soil, and
from an examination of the message
and of marks found ON the wings of the
bird. it is reported that the War Minis
Ter satisfied himself that the Germans
have e established secret agencies in their
neighbours territory to enable them to
carry out this scheme. 1t is alleged
''that between these agents and the
headquarter staff at Berlin correspon-
dence takes place daily by those winged
messengers, and that Germany has or
gained system of international COM
munication which. in case ofwar, would
render her very valuable service" The
incident created great interest among
the French military authorities, and tits
now stated that the French Minister OF
War is directing his attention to the |
liberation of foreign pigeons on French |
soil. If such an agency could be estab- |
lished by Germany in France, it would
be still easier for foreign power to do
the same in England. where the country |
more SO than any nation among the |
western powers, abounds in foreigners, |
and where the military authorities have
little or no knowledge of pigeon-fying.
Meas.