The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1893-08-18
FLEET HOMING pIGE0Ns
some Uses 20 which They Arc Put
Delightful Sport OF Great Practi-
oal Value-Method OF Training.

Somo Uses to Which They Arc Put
Delightful Sport OF Great Practf
esi Vslue-HIethod OF Training.
II ii UMING pigeons are frequent
:ss1ss :ss.is; s,sss s;ssss. e.
| Chicago Post. This Is not
correct; the carrier pigeon is now KEEP
only for show. There is some differ
ence of statement as to who introduced
homing pigeons into America. Fran
CHS Whiteley, Of Newark, N. j., WAC
has very large loft, says that he was
the first to own homing pigeons, and in.
troduced them in 1865, when he built
q cote in New York.
Most printed works on tho subject
say that John Van Opstai, of New York
City, had the first pigeons here, and
that he introduced chem in 1879.
However that may be, it is certain that
the sport of flying homing pigeons has
now reached very large proportions in
| the United States. Most homino fam
ciers belong to homing clubs, and the
clubs are united in two central bodies,
the American Federation of Homina
Clubs and the League of American
Homing Clubs.
Ono hundred years ago pigeons were
regularly employed in England by
commercial men and others to carry
messages and for record flying. It is
likely that tho old carriers, dragons
and horsemen were used MS message
carriers then. Pigeons had been so
employed in all parts of the world
from time immemorial.
Belgium then, as now, devoted most
attention to the flying pigeons, and it
liz in that country that the superb
birds once called flying Antwerps, but
now known rs homing pigeons, were
developed.
This wonderful breed has been pro-
duced by tho fusion Of many strains,
including the English drngoon, Bel.
gian pigeon called tie smorlc, which
from it's round head and occasional
frills was probably of owl pnrentage;
round-headed, high-fying birl
called tho cumulet, the barb end
others.
Tho homing pigeon was brought TO
degree of perfection sufficient t.
drive all other birds freQa. the fiel.L
about fifty years ago. The metho o ::
breeding was of course to pair the Dcs.
performers regardless of color or type.
1t follows naturally from such an adj
mixture of breeds that there is much
variation of type among tho homars
of the present. These characteristics,
however, persist in oil first class flyers !;
the head is broad and woll developed,
the waffle is small, tho breast and
ahnn llaro 1,n,, nj Lr~o1
hinder part Of the bird tapcrs grace
| fully.
Perhaps tho best performance re-
corded by homing pigeons was flight
from DaX, France, of 562 English
| miles, ut tho rate of seventy-two feet a
| second, or nearly twelve hours on the
wing, or 14-17 miles per minute. A
carrier could cover about $50 miles in
the same time.
The use of pigeons as regular car.
riers of messages, of course, declined
and almost ceased upon the introduc-
ton of universal postal and telegraph
service, but they have frequently been
called into requisition during later
| years when, for one cause or another,
neither mail nor telegraph could be
J ttpSus NAoop
that of tho United States, now keel
birds in training for military purposes
1t has even been proposed in som,
quarters to keep lofts Of birds regu
larly on the ships, and it has beer
imagined by those unfamiliar with tn,
subject that it would be possible tc
train birds to find tho ship to which
they belonged, no matter where il
might be located
The quality that renders the homine
pigeon valuable rs n flyer is his love O.
homo and wonderful memory. If he
be liberated ut any point, no matter
how fur removed from his home, h,
Will try to find it. But if the route
from the place of liberation to the
home left be one with which the birt
is entirely unacquainted, it is ques
ton of chance rs to when it will re
turn. if ever.
1t is for this reason that fnnciers be.
fore allowing their birds to mako long
flights test them with shorter flights in
the Same direction from home as the
location OF the tossing" point for the
longer journey. 1t is the common
practice OF pigeon fnnciers to lay ont
these training points in as near an air
line as possible.
| When homer is liberated iii Il
strange place it will first rise to con-
siderable height and fly in widening
and rising circles until its keen eye
catches somc feature of the landscape
that is familiar. When this occurs the
homcward flight begins at once and il
continued without cessation till home
is reached or night, storm or hunger
brings the bird to the ground The
homer's greatest enemies are the hawks
and pot hunters, and it is through
these agencies that many birds are
lost.
The rules governing the flying OF
homers for records are simple. Records
are kept by the Federation of Ameri.
can Homing Clubs anl tho Inngnc o:
American Homing Clubs. A bird from
which record il desired must wear
upon tho left ankle what is known as q
seamless band. They are furnished
both by the league and federation upon
the application of any fancier, whether
| he be n mcmber of n club affiliated with