Connecticut western news., 1889-01-16
AERIAL CARRIERS.
Fast Flying Birds Made to Do
 Duty as Messengers.

Duty as Messengers.
 Rapid Growth of the Carrier
 Pigeon Industry.
 To what an extent the sport of pig. con flying has recently developed is only realized, says the New York World, by glance at the many pigeon clubs. Tho sport has grown popular during the past few years, and now many are making uso of pigeons for sending let tcrs. At tho present timc there arc about 500 clubs in thi, country. Ia Europe there are more than 5000 clubs devoted to tho sport of pigeon flying. In this country the majority of tho clubs belong to tho American Fedora tion of Pigeon Flyers with headqna tcrs in Philadelphia. This society is made up of two representatives from each Club, who elect President, Vice. President, Troa urcr, Secretary and an Executive Committed. The Federation is established on a sound basis, and among its m m,mbers arc owners of the most famous birds in tho cou ,try.
 Probably the best birds in America at tho present. timo are Calumet and Crescent, owned by Samuel w. Taylor, of Baltimore. These birds hold the championship for a flight of 5Sea miles, doing the journey in one day.
 Great interest is taken in the sport of pigeon flying by all classes and both sexes in Europe. In Belgium the sport is in full progress all the year around, and every spring, races of tho aerial messengers are indulged in. Almost every village in Belgium boasts of it's lofts. It is estimated that there are upward of 1, 200 pigeon clubs in the Netherlands alone
 To Belgium is due tho credit of many new devices for tho carrying of letters by these trained messenger, of tho air. In that country many methods of trans hitting mcssagc arc employed. Some- times it i. tiel to the tail feathers, fashion that is common in that country. A new devic, however, that has gained popular favor among tn, pigeon-fyers of Belgium is that of writing the mes- sago on pleco of strong tissue paper, which is wrapped around tho pigeons log and secured either by piece of gummed paper, a bit of thread or fine elastic bad. By thi, method tho free movement of the Lirl is u, u,impeded, as the weight is slight aud tho bird in its flight carries its logs up under the body, protecting the mc,sago from wind and rain.
 In England there has been great deal of interest taken lately in the sport of pigeon flying, and many noblemen, whose former boast was their fast horses, arc now boosting of their swift homing birds. In that country the best of stock is to bo obtained and tho best of caro is taken of the birds. Tho de- scription of a gentlcman's loft which was printed recently in London ne ws- paper showed that these birds were in- deed fortunate. Another European country that has taken kindly to pigeon flying i' Rush. Every week there is Q public raco betweon distant village, for prizes donated Ly the trades people. A visitor to a small country village of Russia thus describes his visit {: T awoke the morning of my third days stop iu the vil- lage, and from my hotel window could sec th, people moving about holding small pigeons in their hands. A few had tho pigeons stuck in their pockets, while several others had theirs securely packed under their long, heavy boar skin coats. I quickly dressed and, hastening down stairs, immediately wcnded my way among tho crowd to discover if possible, what was to occur. I soon discovered that, tho day being Thursday, it was the regular monthly reco day of tho diff rent homing pigeon clubs of the village. It seemed to me as though every body in that vil- lage was mombcr of the different clubs, for the whole village seemed to be out that morning. Two hours aftor the crowd hal passed my hotel tho wholo sky appeared to bc filled with birds. It was tho racers flying to their different lofts, and tho sight was in- decd grand ono."
 How much is thought of tho pigeon as an addition to tho fighting forces of Continental nations may be inferred from tho excitement caused few months ago when a German pigeon was found at Tours. In English military m, e .vres Major Alatt has shown how rapid communications eau be made be- tween different sections of an army and how the outpo,ts can givo information to headquarters, whero probably the telegraph would bo unavailable. But it is not only in tho arts of war that tho homing pigeon has proved capable of great service. There arc , many peaceful operations where it is able to convey news more rapidly than can bo sent by any other means. Couu- try doctors often employ homcrs to re- turn with prescriptions to their surgcr- les in special cases, and they are fre- qucntly used by pilots to announce the arrival of vessels off tho coast. But perhaps no section of the communi, y