Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1889-03-21
WINGED MESSENGERS.
HOMrNG PIGEONS. THEIR VALUE
AND USEFULNESS.
1neir Faculty OF. Flying Long Dis
eances and Returning Home Safe
ly-How lhey are Taught.

pigeons have increased to such an extent
within few years in this country that
much attention has been directed to the
industry, or perhaps pastime, by wealthy
and intelligent people. And it is a pas
time that is fascinating and instructive.
Upon this point none disagree. "With
regard to the faculty that these birds
possess OF returning home from long dis
tances l believe more erroneous state
ments have been written" SAYS an ex-
cellent authority, ethan on any other
subject connected with pigeons" The
faculty has been attributed to some mys-
ferrous power or instinct the birds pos
sess, but this is denied nowadays and it
rs claimed to be due solely to observa-
tlon-ln other words, to intelligence.
The homing pigeon and his ways can be
studied with profit, and their ability to
make rapid and sure flights is being
utilized by many governments of the
world
A homing pigeon must be distinguish
ed from the carrier The English car
rier is bred simply for show purposes,
and is tall, err ct and stately, with heavy
beak and eye waffle. The homer, on
the contrary, is the result of many
ideal bird of to-day is one of erect car
riage. broad chest, powerful shoulders,
close features, full eye and all good
brainy head. The color of the bird does
not enter into the consideration.
The great object OF breeding these
pets is to procure speed and endurance,
supposing, OF course. that the homing
, quality is there to work upon. The
love OF home is the one great thing the
breeders rely on, and once in possession
OF strain of pure homers they guard
them with jealous eve and cross them
for the requisites required, devoting
much time, labor and study to the
work. They have much to contend
with at times to keep them intact, as
guns, cats. and hawks, which may be
generalized under the head of accidents,
lessen their number materially. Every
fancier, who takes a thorough interest
IN the fascinating sport, has his loft of
breeders whose progeny he can rely
on under fair conditions. The breeding
season commences about February l.
When the young are about five years
old seamless band is slipped over the
foot, and in a few days the bird has
grown SO that it cannot be removed
These bands are issued by the national
organization, the Federation of Ameri-
can Homing Pigeon Fanciers. The
bands bear number and also letter
the latter denoting the year of hatch
and the figures the registered number
of the bird. There are no two bands
alike. A record is kept of all bands
issued, 30 that should this or that fan
cier breed and band bird, sell il as a
youngster to some one--say, in Phila-
delphia, Boston or New York, for in
stance-train it and make top record,
the bre.dr can always be known by the
registered number The bands for 1886
were marked, A.; 1887 b; 1883, u; and
1889, will be X. Starting at No. | last
year, there were issued 1914, which
gives good idea of the extent of the
sport.
The old birds make good parents,
seeming to caro- more for taeir young
and nest box than anything else. 1t is
not unusual to see bird come in from
a. three-hundred-mile Journey, go at
once to its nest without taking food or
water. and take general look around.
Then if everything is satisfactory he
will eat, which trait in the homer might,
perhaps be studied with advantage by
members OF the human family. At home
the birds are inclined to be pugnacions,
and will fight not only for their own
nest but often claim others that don't
belong to them, and when this occurs
the rightfnl owner goes for the squatter
''hammer and tongs, and victory is gen
orally on the side of the right.
The old bird flying season commences
in May and closes in July. Some
fanciers start training early in April,
but the birds of prey are still too nu-
merous Mt that time to risk the produc
tions OF several years training for such
an early start in the flying sport. The
great point to he gained hy breeders
and fanciers seems to be to reach 500
mile station about June21. The days
are then the longest, aud your bird
should cover the distance the day of lib
GRAFTON. This feat has been accom-
plished by only nine birds in America.
Young birds are started in training
the later part of August, aud are trained
mp to the two hundred mile stat on. If
stopped then they make prime birds in
the following spring. Some fanciers
send their young birds 400 and 500,miles,
but the strain is too much aud too often
abs ,lutely ruins what might have been
q prime old pigeon. Training is started
by tossing the bird around home, always
in the early morning, then sending it
about five miles in all directions Fol-
lowing the later, the course is laid out,
and is usually from the Southwest, as
the best results have been obtained from
that point, beginning at ten miles, after
which twenty, next forty, seventy.fve,
one hundred and thirty and finally 200
miles. OF training and the question of
instinct and observation, Mr.. w. G. leg
itmeier says in the Homing Exchange, "a
bird thrown in new locality flies round
and round in gradually widening circles,
until ut length il describes some familiar
object, and then, and then only, darts
of on its homewa'd tight. Throw the
Same bird again in the same locality, and
II good intelligent bird, there is no
wheeling ronnd, but the road being
known. lie is OIL instantly.
II know | shall be met by the fact
that no bird can see two hundred miles,
70 say nothing Of five hundred In that
/ perfectly agree, but no bird will return
home two hundred miles without he has