Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1893-02-01
RACES IN The AIR.
Birds Trained For Speed and the Men WI
L..


Birds Trained For Speed and the Men Who
Train Them.
The breeding and flying of homing
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 communi-
cation for many hundreds of years, and
history tells of many strange stories of
this wonderful bird. 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 a 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 a
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 a capacious
skull The eyes are wide apart and
| prominent, with 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 fight 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
There are usually twelve feathers in
the tail and they should be small and
well made, possessing great elasticity
| and strung close together. The homer
| is truly domestic bird and it's love for
home is remarkable. Many people con-
| tend that this love of home is only an
parent after the bird has had young.
but there are many instances where old
birds have been taken from their homes
| and raised young in another loft, vet
when once liberated they left their off
spring and returned to their old home.
Another popularity of the homer is that
when II calaafc "a
leaves it and will fight hard to MAIN
tain its rights Homers are bred these
days for racing. That is several fam
c1ers get together and wager large sums
that their respective birds will beat
others home when liberated at a dis
tance.
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 a ruce, and every dav
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
short distance away and liberated.
The next day this distance is auo~
| mented and so on until they have tra-
versed distance equal to the race in
which they are tn compete. The bas-
ket in which the pigeons are trans
ported is of a peculiar device, and SO ar
ranged as not to interfere with the
| free movement of their bodies. A large
/ Illy Iauc raA 1,xs1
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 the birds kept without
food for at least twcnty-four hours. In
| hberating birds care should be taken to
avoid a 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
disarrange1 or ruffied.
Many peculiar devices are employed
for registering the return of bird
/ For instance, there is the electrictric
| platform which is set on two sensitive
| springs and registers automatically by
ringing a bell in the breeders house
the moment bird alights Perhaps
the most unique arrangement of all Is
that which by the use of a camera IN
which hinged platform operates a
shutter. the birds picture is taken the
moment it alights upon the platform.
but this device is rarely if ever used,
for the reason that in any other but
bright, sunshiny weather it viii not
work. Star.
"A Fatal Pun.-He was calling on
his best gir, who was employed in the
central Office. He had just asked her,
20 be his and she had consented "Don't
tell anyoAe our secret, dear" he said
Won't Won let me even telephone?-
| isped the sweet girl But the young
man had fed, and the punster is now
looking for a new victim -Brooklyn
Eagle.
well, l wonder What viii be the
sensation af the weelx?'' queried the
tuie2safh editor. 'If may be per.
mitted to speak, ventured the horse
editor. ''it is likely that the sensation
i - IL