The Press., 1896-12-31
HOMTNG PIGEONS.
POINTS FROM HANGERS ON THESE
 INTELLIGENT BIRDS.

Careful Observers Declare That tlIe Birds
 Fly by Sight-The Four Points In Hom-
 ing Pigeons Which Fanciers Consider of
 Prime Importance.
 What the peculiar gift is which en- ables the pigeon to return to its home from great distances is a matter upon which authorities disagree. The most general opinion among those who know anything of the subject is that the birds fly by sight alone. This theory would seem to be borne out by the fact that the best and most highly bred of racing birds have frequently been lest ill the London fogs The fact T t instinct is unerring and that the h. liNg pigeon not only frequently CTS, txill it's at times great iudecisiCn as tD f c tOrrect course for him to lulsrC, SCtn s to pre- Clude the idea that he is gCvelLed solely by instinct. The theory hich is most generally accepted is that the bird is gifted with remarkable Cyesight and also with a memory for landmarks which is superior to 8 similar faculty in any other animal. That the bird possesses a high order of intelligence is shown from
 
 lost ill race will frequently return to the room in which they have been kept at the starting point of their speed test
 In selecting homing pigeons for rac. ing purposes even the best fanciers often pick out birds as most like racers that cannot fly 20 miles without becoming lost. The meanest, most scraggy looking bird, without single good point, some times leaves its handsome competitor, who is, 10 all appearances, perfect in physical proportions, far in the rear. Still, fanciers look with interest at four points ill a homing pigeon which are considered of prime importance. The first of these is, strange as the fact may appear to novice ill the art, the eye. MT. Starr, one of the foremost and most successful of American fanciers, has this to say of the eye:
 ''The white eye may mean the cumu- let, and, if so, indicates that the bird will fly high, have great endurance and wing power If the eye is dark, the head round and the beak short and close fit ting, theTe will be 8 prepOnderance of the owl :ype, and the result will be that the bird will fly later at night than any other type. But, whatever the char acter of the color, the ball must extend beyond the line of the head and be so placed that the bird should have view of what is behind as well as before it. When bird returns from a journey over much new territory, this protrusion of the eyeball is greatly increased, show ing to what B great strain the powers of irfA
 While Mr. Starr, in common with other successful American fanciers, pays little or no attention either to the size or shape of the head, thls point is the second at which European fanciers look with interest. It is generally conceded that the shape makes but little differ ence The skull may be fiat, long and narrow, CT high, short and wide, but it must have room for the brain, and for large brain at that, or else tFe bird is not considered likely candidate for racing honors. Great stress is laid on this organ by all Belgium and Holland fanciers, but in this country the feature is almost entirely overlooked.
 The chest should be broad and is of as great importance as the wing. A mar. row chested bird can fly no great dis tance without exerting the muscles which give fullness to the breast beyond their endurance. The wings and tail should both be exceptionally long, as the tail acts as a rudder, and the short CT wings require much added exertion for the same amount of flying.
 The color of pigeon has no signifi- canoe, but the rule in breeding is to cross the colors when practicable.
 Even the best bred of the homers require most careful and intelligent training before they are entered in races. While the physique of the bird is we'll developed at the age of 10 weeks, it is thought best to give considerably longer time for the brain to develop be- fore the bird is trained for the work which lies ahead of him. At the age of 4 months the first trial trips may be made, and he is then flown from dis tances of between 9 and 90 miles at in- tervals of two or three days apart. 1 Many birds are lost in these trial trips, and those which return safely from the longer trial trips may be considered fit to enter in the young bird races. The shortest of these is 100 miles in length, and birds are not supposed to be flown more than 90 miles before taking part in the speed trials.
 For the young birds the system of training is supposed to accomplish two widely different results. In the first place they teach the young bird to re- turn to his loft, and in the second they develop the muscles and prepare them for the hard work which the races will require of them. Training trips for old CT birds are made with the sole view of getting their muscles limbered up again and tougbened for the longer races. = 1 Chicnpn Chrnnicla