The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-11-19
RACES IN THE AIR.
Birds Trained For Speed and the Mon who
Train Them.


Birds Trained For Speed and the Mon who
Train Them.
The breeding and flying of homina
pigeons has lately taken fresh impe.
tus in Washington, and it is safe to say
that before another year this city will
take its place among the best racing
cities in the country. Homing pigeons
have been bred as a means of commune
cation for many hundreds of years, and
history tells of many strange stories OF
this wonderful bird A noteworthy use
OF the homer as postmen was made at
the time of the siege of Paris A strip
of paper ten inches long by trifle over
two inches wide was rolled up inside a
large turkey quill and secured to the
tail of the pigeon. The whole thing
only weighed about sixteen grains, yet
the paper contained over one million
words. These were put on the paper
by process known. as microphotogra-
ply BY this means messages were
sent regularly from the beleagured
city.
The present species of bird originally
came from Belgium and for many years
that country has been the chief place
of abode of the true homer.
But what is true homer? What are
its distinctive peculiarities and how are
they bred? These are the questions q
reporter of the Star endeavored to have
answered few days ago and this is
the result: The shape of the bird re-
sembles that of common blue-rock
pigeon, with the exception of very
full and wide breast and capacious
skull The eyes are wide apart and
prominent, with a deep-orange pupil
The beak is thick and usually black,
although this differs in some
birds. The wings of the homer
are more powerful than those of
any other pigeon species and form one
of the distinctive features of the bird.
Each wing contains ten long feathers,
set close together. These are known
among pigeon breeders as flight feath
ers and go long ways toward increas-
ing the speed of the bird. The tail is
the most important portion of the bird,
for it is here the messages are attached.
hCIO oAC usually U"C1VO CdtACA . LII
the tail and they should be small and
well made, possessing great elasticity
and strung close together. The homer
is truly domestic bird and its love for
home is remarkable. Many people con-
tend that this love Of home is only ap-
parent after the bird has had young,
but therr re many instances where old
birds n haon toll La, bo;r hov
and raj i young in another loft, yet
when once liberated they left their Off
spring and returned to their old home
Another popularity of the homer is that
when once it selects perch it never
leaves it and will fight hard to main
tain its rights. Homers are bred these
days for racing. That is several fam
ciers get together and wager large sums
that their respective birds will beat
others home when liberated at dis
lance.
just at this season of the year the
racing pigeon, like the race horse, is
being zealously trained for the spring
races. There are two classes in which
the birds compete. One is for old birds,
while the other is for young ones Con-
siderable pains are necessary to proper
ly train bird for race, and every day
the fanciers may be seen boarding
trains with huge baskets filed with
birds The young birds after they have
learned to fly about the loft are taken
q short distance away and liberated
The next day this distance is aug
mented and so on until they have ira
distance equal to the race in
which they are to compete. The bas-
ket in which the pigeons are trans
ported is of peculiar device, and SO ar
ranged as not to interfere with the
free movement of their bodies. A large
wicker basket, built especially for the
purpose, is usually employed. 1t is
provided with four or more apartments
and in these the birds may be shipped
many miles without danger. The day
On which the birds are liberated should |
be clear and tho birds kept without
food for at least twenty-four hours. In
liberating birds care should DO taken to |
avoid place near any high buildings, |
for the birds are tempted to light and
this is considered very bad practice for
young racers. When bird is liberated |
It is thrown up from the hand, care be-
ing taken that none of the feathers are
or ruff1ed.
Many peculiar devices are employed
for registering the return of bird. |
For instance, there is the electrictrical |
platform which is set on two sensitive
springs and registers automatically by
-inging q bell in the breeders house
he moment a bird alights Perhaps
he most unique arrangement of all is
hat which by the use of camera in
which hinged platform operates a
shutter, the birds picture is taken the
moment it alights upon the platform.
out this device is rarely if ever used,
or the reason that in any other but
bright sunshiny weather it will not
vork.-Washington Star.