The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-11-02
A PIGEONS WANDERING
Home in Fifteen Months After
an Ocean Flight of 700 Miles.

A homing pigeon, Dude, the property of j.
Hervey Doane of Plainfeld, n. j., has just
returned from remarkable flight. When
the members of Scripps League expedition
sailed for the Paris Exposition July "A, 1889,
they took with them six birds belonging to
MIR. Doane and his brother. Charles DOane.
Four of them were released the first day out
at sea, but two. Dude and Ariel, were not
released until the second day, seven hun
dred miles from home.
Ariel, according to the World of New
York, was heard of soon after, but nothing
was heard of Dude. One morning this week
when Mr.. Doane went to his loft to feed the
birds, he was surprised to see Dude sitting
on his perch as though flight of 200 miles
and an absence from home of fifteen months
was quite the usual thing for a homing
pigeon. To a reporter OF the World Mr..
D0ane told the following story: Dudes
registered number is 515. He is silver
cock, bred by Sidney Dorman of Plaintield,
out OF Aliens famous Newark stock. He is
of strong build, heavy chest. shoit body,
with exceptionally long wings. He is now
years old and previous to this long flight
had only flown a distance of 115 miles, from
Havre de Grace, Md"
When asked whether he had any theory
as to the birds whereabouts during the tif-
teen months since he was liberated Mr..
Doane said that he thought he had been in
captivity somewhere, for now he was very
tame, but when he was liberated he was
wild. Homing pigeons are kept wild; they
fly better when not tanned. Is think" said
MIR. Doaue, that Dude must have lighted on
some vessel and been kept prisoner by the
sailors, who. you know, are very supersti-
tious about releasing a bird that comes to
them. / base my belief on the fate of Dudes
companion, Ariel, who fell exhausted on the
deck of an incoming freight steamer-a
tramp / saw little news item regarding
him in morning paper and tried to secure
him from the captain, but he demanded $500
for his return. l could not afford to pay
that, and so, after much coaxng, was com
PEELED to let the captain take the bird home
to his wee ones as he put it, If Dade had
the same fate he must have made his escape
and come straight home.
There was nos message on the bird.
Julian Hawthorne accompanied the Scrpps
expedition, and lie wrote message, which
was fastened to one of Dudes tall-featherS,
but since then the tail-featherS have been
shed twice.
1.-THE four birds that were released the
first day had rather peculiar experiences
also. Ancient Mariner flew into the window
of a gentleman'S house at Riverdale, on the
Hudson, at l o'clock on the day he was re-
leased, after flight of 400 miles in eight
hours with leg oroken and one wing badly
hurt The gentleman said he was chased by
hawk. This bird was returned to me after
doctor had fixed him up. Another bird
flew into house at Mystic, Conn. A letter
from the woman living in the house told US
of the birds whereabouts. My brother
wrote her to toss it. which she did, and the
bird came straight home. Leander, another
bird, came home day later and the fourth
bird few days after him. With the return
Of Dude this week all of the seXtet have
heen recovered or heard from