Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-11-11
DECOY TAME PIGEONS.
TRAPPERs WHO LURE THEM
INTO CAGES.
Teaching Carriers to DepredatiOas
of Greedy PigeoR Hawk whose
Roost Is in the Brooklyn Bridge
Tricks OF the Trappers.

Although there is no census Of city
birds extant everyone IS aware that
next to the sparroWs, and probably
not far behind them in point Of mum.
bers, come the pigeons. small colonies
Of which may be met with in the
most unexpected situations For
many years the roof OF the suotreas-
ury in Wall street, was patrolled by
large body OF them a. yigilantly as
ever were the walls OF the Roman
capital by the historical geese whose
cackliug saved il from capture b.
the Gauls, says the New York Herald
Further uptown, however. especially
on the east side, one can hardly
raise the eyes skyward at any time
during pleasant day without espy-
ing a lock circling somewhere in
rapid and graceful flight These
pigeons, generally ..Antwerps, oe
carriers, are usually in process OF
training and range in value. ac-
cording to their breeding, from s to
$50 apiece,
In the spring the young birds are
set in a large cage in some open
place or on top OF roof, and after a
few days, when they have become ac-
quainted with their surroundings,
the door is opened and they are al
lowed 10 walk about outside. After
a while they are taken in the hand in
a peculiar manner and flied that
is, thrown up into the air, when they
make a short circle ana aIight on
the cage again. For several DAYS
they are thus thrown up and az short
intervals driven from the roof and
made to fly about. These fights gradu-
ally increases in distance and duration
until the birds are well acquainted
with the immediate neighborhood,
some grains OF seed or cracked corn
being given them at the end OF each
Aight
The next step is to put them in
basket and carry them quarter OF
mile or so away. from which point
they are tossed into the air to fy
back TO the cage.
The length OF the basket trip is
then further increased until finally on
a cloudy day they are taken across
the river and released. After this
last journey the birds are counted
upon to reach home from a distance
Of fifty miles or more Promising
birds that return quickly are shipped
by rail to still more distant points
and there released. some being sent
as far as New Orleans.
The enterprIsing conductors Of this
traffic begin with few birds, which
they train in the regular way. and
keep circling about in their imme-
diate vicinity from early morning
until dark. merely for the purpose OF
attracting the birds of others that
pass over the neighborhood. Some
days as many as eight or ten '.straysn
will be captured. and these. sold at
from seyenty-fiye cents and up, make
a very fair days work pecuniarily for
the snarer. Whether ii is fair in any
other sense depends greatly on the
point OF view
Early in the morning the snarcr
begins operations BY letting out his
birds, and he is usually assisted by
a number Of young ''worTitsi OF
somebody's life who aid him in many
ways. carrying the baskets OF birds
to be released at a distance early in
the season, and, later on. keeping
sharp lookout for '.strays" and man
euvering the string OF the trap
As soon as a stray is sighted in the
air the company is at once all com
motion, and in the height OF expec-
tatiOn that ensues the strictest OBJ
server OF 'meum and tuum'' can
hardly fail to find himself aroused TO
an interest in the operations quite
foreign to moral rectitude and a re-
gard for the property Of others.
The company Immediately cram
all sorts OF combinations OF fingers
into their mouths and set up a shrill
whistling TO attract the attention OF
the stray while 1t is still long way
of; the decoy birds are swept into
the air with the rod and then the
company scatter and make them
selves inconspicuous As the stray
comes nearer in his flight the OBJ
server comes under the influence OF
an excitement fairly emulating the
gamblers, the huntsman's and the
sportsman's elements Of uncertainty
now crop up rapidly for the next ten
or fifteen minutes. Will the stray
''take notice" Will he ..mixg' and
il he does mix" and joins the flight
Of the decoys, will he drop" with
them? II he does and alights near
the trap, will he follow them under
it to feed? Even should he get as
far as this on the way to captivity
the boy with the string may make q
elunder and in his nervousness be
too slow or too quick, in which event
the stray sails calmly away-and
then il must be very clear atmos.
phere that is not rendered bluer by
the shower Of strange phrases that
assails the ears Of that bungling boy.
stand and Deliver.
Mrs. Helpem This is lovely! How
did you manage to collect 50 much
money for the causeo