Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1896-11-30


to Detroit with dispatches. In the
four or five trials the birds brought
the messages distance of forty-two
miles in the average of an hour and
ten minutes, according to the Detroit
Free Press.
1t might seem to some to be new
departure in military work, but its
origin is buried beyond the records of
history. For centuries back the peace
tul dove has played an important part
in the wars and politics of the world.
As long ago as the reign of Rameses
ILL.,, King of Egypt, the carrier pigeon
was used in conveying important dis
patches from one point to another. 1t
is even thought by some that Noah's
dove" which flew all day over the
,heerless waters, was q carrier. Ger
;ain it is that the Egyptians made
good use of this method of conveying
Intelligence from remote parts of the
kingdom.
Frequent illusions to the carrier are
made by the classic writer's OF Greece
md Rome. A Roman of means, in
going to the market place, took one of
;hese birds with him in basket, so
hat ho might send home the names of
ihe guests whom he invited to dinner.
Messages were sent in this way to the
Saracens in their wars with the Chris
iians. Communication was thus kept
Up between the people in besieged
,ities and allies without. In China,
Turkey, and, in fact, all Eastern coun-
,ries, the use of the carrier is still one
If the customs. During the wars be-
iween France and Germany this was,
many cases, the only means of COM
nunication. In the siege OF Paris, it
s said that $4,000 of the birds were
lsed. The Germans employed hawks,
Is the Saracens had falcons, to destroy
hem.
Now, however, it is more for amuse-
nent than as means of useful COM
nunication that the carrier pigeon is
cultivated. In Belgium, pigeon flying
S one of the greatest of the National
lmusements. Races are held, at which
rom ten to twenty thousand of the
birds are liberated, and great crowds
,f people assemble to see them start
IN their journey. The course is from
fifty to 500 miles, according to the
age of the birds, aud the distance is
sometimes covered in remarkably fast
time.
Very few persons know that there
is, in this country, National associa-
tion, or league, of homing clubs.
Nearly every large city, from New
York to San Francisco, has one or moro
clubs that have for their object the
raising and matching of fast birds.
1t is n wonderful power that the car
rier has, of finding its home, though
separated from it by hundreds of miles
Of unknown country. Some have
called it instinct, and others say that
It is matter of sight and memory.
1t seems to be both. Certain it is, at
any rate, that the carrier is very in.
telligent, and has good memory and
remarkable power of sight. On the
other hand, it can see, at the most, q
distance of seventy.fiye miles from its
exalted position in midair, while 200
miles of country, hitherto unseen by
the bird, is often given to it for a
course.
The education of the carrier is be.
gun when it is four months old. 1t is
first taken just outside the lott and
allowed to make its way back to its
nest. 1t is then taken distance of
one or two blocks away and again lib
Grated. 1t often happens that the
bird will take long time to find its
home on this trial, but on the next at
the same distance it will rise d little
way in the air and then dart straight
for the nest. The distance is gradu-
ally increased until the bird can find
its way home from two or three miles
away. Then begins regular scale OF
lights until 500 miles is reached.
The carriers fight is very swift, the
average being over forty miles an
hour. Several birds in this city have
flown 800 miles at the rate of owe,
sixty miles an hour, and there are
well-authenticated cases in which @
speed of ninety miles an hour has been
attained. This, however, is with the
help OF good breeze. AS night comes
on the pigeon rests on some tree or in
some plowed furrow, but at the dawn
it is away again on its swift career.
1t sometimes happens that pigeon
misses the right direction in its flight.
When it finds this to be the case, in
stead of flying around until it sees
something familiar, the carrier goes
directly back to the starting point
and tries again.
The carrier Is not fond of flying
over water, perhaps because there are
no guide marks and no resting places.
A large number of New York homins
pigeons were liberated at the Worlds
Fair. All but one scared around fol
awhile and then started down Lake
Michigan, following the shore. The
one exception flew to the top of one O.
the high buildings, where it sat foI
fully ten minutes and then shot of
eastward, directly across the lake
This bird made the flight to New Yorl
in thirty-six hours. Very often thu
pigeons lose their way and never reacf
home. The fanciers are desirous o
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