Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-13
CAR RIER PIG EON S
They Fly by Sight and Not by
Instinct
Popular Notion Concerning These
Birds Entirely Dissipated-Some of
the Pigeons Are Perfect Chumps.

tne F18eOno ARE fefIect ShumD0.
From Popular Science Monthly.
Prof. c. r. Hodge Of Clark University. at
Worcester. Mass. has been experimenting
to ascertain how many carrier pigeons find
their way home.
1t entirely dissipates the popular notion
that carrier pigeons are guided by some
direction sense" or blind instinct. or. as
the French have put 1t, that they follow
certain electrical currents which their deli
cate senses apprehend.
The result Of Prof Hodges work IL to
demonstrate that carrier pigeons are guided
by sight alone. He says that no carrier
pigeon can find his way over strange coun-
try, that he is likely to get lost in a fog and
that until he learns from experience he Is
often fooled by colors or objects which ap-
pear to be familiar.
Thus with some young pigeons with which
the professor experimental, they few to the
nearest red barn when let out Of a closed
cage. supposing II to be the red barn near
their home loft. and for a time they would
fly to any red barn that came in sight.
Another curious fact was noticed about
these young pigeons. The moment they
were liberated from their home loft they
flew to the top OF the nearest chimney and
began to look about and take mental notes.
Thirty-five minutes were thus occupied
In noting every detail of their surround
ings. looking eagerly this way and that
end covering all the points OF the compass.
Having learned the LAY Of the land"
they We're ready to be taken off a quarter
Of a mile or so, when. flying up to a great
height. they saw some familiar object to
I,l, fhlx- NV af nnf w
find their way to the loft.
1t was noticed by the professor. however.
that some Of these pigeons were fools and
others very sagacious. The fools got lost
easily, did not proceed upon any rational
basis and allowed themselves to be de-
ceived by trees and hills which took them
in tine wrong direction.
The more sagacious pigeons. when liber-
ated in a strange place would ny to great
height in a constantly winding circle. In a
very few minutes they would sweep terri
tory nifty miles in extent of vision
Even when the home loft was less than a
mile away some OF the carrier pigeons
wasted immense effort and time in trying
to find II.
One Of them made four circles and rose
high in the air. To the south and west
were lakes and woods. with but few farm
houses Toward the north was the village
of South Madison, Wis, near which the ex-
periments were held.
The pigeon rushed on in the wrong direc-
a
looked like that near the loft. but he came
back to the starting point and from there
started of to the state capital
He reached the city, but found nothing
familiar. and spent some time circling over
1t. having covered a distance of ten miles
in less than eight minutes. He was liber-
ated at o'clock and returned to the loft at
g. having flown. It was estimated. at the
rate OF a mile a minute.
A week later this same pigeon few home
from the same hill In less than a minute.
The first flights of the carrier pigeons were
very crooked and tortuous. and are Illus
trated by the charts published by Prof.
Hodge.
But after they had been once or twice
over the ground they flew almost in a
straight line. and with incredible speed.
Liberated from boat on a lake, II was no.
ticed the birds always few to the nearest
land.
One Of them. fool pigeon, looked
over the same ground again and again.
ability. and then few back to the boat in
the lake.
One Of his companions, a clever bird.
kept increasing his circles over the land
until some familiar object caught his eve.
and from there he quickly found his way
nome The former was subsequently lost
when liberated with eleven others, all OF
whom found their way TO the home loft
This also goes to show that carrier pigeons
do not fly in focks and render no assist
ance to each other. each one apparently
desiring to paddle his own canoe.
The birds. IL seems. can always find their
way back to the point from which they
start, ana failing to learn the way to their
home Will often return there. When they
proceed by making constantly widening
circles. however, there is no use OF their
returning for fresh start.
Some OF the carrier pigeons. especially
the younger ones. started eff in a zig-zas
course when liberated and missed familiar
objects at a short distance.
The spiral. Prof Hodge ts he fdea
way to cover every inch OF the ground He
says that carrier pigeons do not circle
about in the air for sport or exercise. hut
that II Is part OF their searching instinct,
always on the alert to see their way and
note the landscape.
In searching for a lost tennis ball he
noticed that the natural instinct of dogs
and men seemed to be the spiral widen
ing out from the center, but that some
boys searched by a series of straight lines
Prof Hodge estimates that the distance
at which prominent landmark il visible
Is three miles.
The best time made in the first flight OF
a bird was % miles in hours and min
utes. Taking three miles as the limit OF
vision over broken country. Prof. Hodge
estimates that the least length of the in
volute Of q circle which Would bring a bird
from a distance OF &c miles to within sight
OF the loft Is 219 miles, and he says that
In five hours 1t is not likely that the pigeon
flew less than 80 miles.
What becomes of the lost carrier pigeons ?
That is a question suggested by the numer-
GUS disappearances of trained birds within
the experience Of every pigeon fancier-
1t has been supposed that they united
with others Of their breed. but II is a rare
thing for strange pigeons to fly into the
loft. To be lost is supposed to cause the
carrier pigeon the utmost distress of mind.
Its whole life and all its instincts appear
| to be directed to finding Its way back TO its
home. But then even carrier pigeons come
to love a new home even better than an
old one. and they can pick up a living
wherever they may happen to be.