The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-04
EOMING PIGEONS.
How the Swift Messengers are Trained
Talk with Pigeon Fancier.
From the Washington Star.

Talk with Pigeon Faocier.
Froa the Washington Star.
The pigeon fanciers of Washington are
turning their attention TO homing pigeons,
and several races between rival lofts are
anticipated. 4 reporter some days ago Wis
tied the loft OF well-Known breeder for the
purpose Of learning something OF this re-
markable bird that has been known 70 ny
hundreds OF miles home.
There is 8 general impression among per
sons not conversant with pigeon lore, said
the breeder, THAT the homlng pigeon Is the
same as the carrier pigeon. In one sense
this is so, because the bird really carries
messages, but there is a vast difference be-
tween it and the carrier pigeon. 1t would
be very difficult to transmit messages by
the carrier as the large excrescence around
the eyes and beak make it hard for il 10 see.
Then again, carriers are very expensive
birds, and it would hardly pay to ny them
for sport. The carrier pigeon" continued
the breeder, ''is one Of the Oldest species we
have any record of. II my library there is
a book that treats of this bird as far back
as 1774, while Shakespeare mentions car
rier pigeons in several of his plays"
DO pigeons carry from as well as to
placer asked the reporter.
THAT is the general impression. believe,
L
only, and it is their love of home that
causes them to seek their old habitations,
hence the name homing pigeons. The mes,
sages are generally attached to the tail
feathers, or otherwise located so as not to
interfere with the free use Of their wings"
PIGEONS AT HOME.
Ranged on three sides of large room
that communicated with the outer world by
a single window were located long shelves
resembling postoffice boxes, each provided
with straw and having a small strip of
wood on its outer end as rest for the
pigeons. These were their homes. Har-
m0ny reigned. Every occupant seemed
coptented, and only the drumming of a
male sumnoning his wife TO her nest or the
soft, weak whistle of the squads distur bed
the stiffness
DO you train birds for racing!" asked
the reporter.
YES; but that is the most difficult fea-
ture of the whole business, as great care
and discrimination must be used in their Sc
lection.
Il commence with young birds, he con
tinued, "about three or four months old
and take them in box or basket a short
distance. The best time to do this is early
in the morning, when the birds are hungry
Sc that when liberated they will be anxiou:
to get home. that they may feed at once.
This lesson is repeated, If possible, every
day, but the flight should be in another di
rection, until flights from all quarters of the
compass have been made. In this way
THEY BECOME ACQUAINTED WITH THF
CHARACTER OF THE COUNTRY
around them, which they easily recognize
when on flight, and they know that home
is near by The distance is gradually in
creased" he continued, until the bird car
do fifty miles with apparent ease. If vol
have a particular race in view it is good
plan to fly your birds over the ground De-
fore it takes place"
How do YOU liberate them9" asked the
reporter.
1.-THE best plan when liberating bird is
to throw it upward from the hands, firmly
but gently, care being taken not TO disar
range any feathers"
1.-THE training is novel to them at first
but they soon grow accustomed to 1t, ano
seem to eujoy it. The great difficulty is In
starting. After being freed, bird will fly
round and round for some time before cut
ting for home"
us there danger of entertaining birdg
Eyes; but its only the inexperienced anna
teur that does this as the experience gained
by having SO choice birds never come
home is a sac less }, and one never forgot
tenn
chow do you distinguish your birds
They all seem alike"
by private marks Every breeder has g
mark of his own. When birds are flying,
its number and the name and address are
printed on its wings"
PIGEON RACE.
"After you name the day on which entries
are to close for the race you obtain the dis
lance from the starting point to each con
1..ce W., III hofO tIa oil
birds must be delivered to the committee
having the race in charge. The members
of this committee then give the bird, in adj
dition to the number already there, another
number and a letter, which must not be
known to any one else. The birds are taken
to the starting point and liberated, tele-
gram being sent to headquarters Each
contestant as soon as his bird arrives
must telegraph to headquarters a descrip-
ton of the bird, together with the number
and letter given by the committee. The
next day he is required to produce the live
bird. The distance each bird makes. to
gether with tho time, are basis for CLASH
fving the winners. The bird flying the
greatest number of yards per minute is de-
clared the winner, the bird doing the mex
greatest second, and so on"
What benefit is derived from hominl
pigeonsW asked the reporter.
The uses OF the homlng pigeon were 1ully
tested in the Franco-German war for carry
ing messages, and now lofts are rapidly
being built all over the world"
During the conversation the doorbel
rang, and an expreSsman with a cage o
twenty ne homers from Red Bank, n. j.
came in The birds were from a well-knowl
fancer, with instructions to liberate the mex
morning at 6 o'clock.
eve often do favors among ourselves,
said the breeder in explanation, Saving
great deal of time and labor. Otherwis
the owner would have to come or hire al
attendant to free his birds"
Preparations are being made for larg
homing pigeon race here about Sept /, an,
it is expected that fully 300 birds will par
ticipate.
THEIR FIRST MONEY.
How Some of Brupsw!ck's Blu sines
7