Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-12-11

The ideas which prevail in the public
mind regarding this carrier-pigeon
service are often singular. A visitor,
DESTROYS Of sending q letter, which
weighed almost as much as the bird,
was indignant that he could not sus-
pend it about the birds neck.
Another wished to send a small pack
age. The real message is sheet OF
thin paper, 4x1O inches. four of which
will contain about column of news
paper matter.
The incoming steamer always has
birds aboard, and when half way over
one of them is generally sent In adj
vance with the number of arrivals ana
their names. Once wedding party
succeeded in quietly boarding the
steamer, and were married by the cap
tain on the high seas. The secret, as
they supposed, was theirs, but when the
little steamer arrived at avalon a9d
the newly married couple walked up
the wharf, they were greeted with rice
and cheers, much to their CONFUSION.
Tie neos hat; been quietly sent ahead
by one of the Pigeons.
Upon one occasion a lady boarded the
steamer who expected to meet a friend
o.. the boat. In this she was dlsap-
pointed, but the purser received a tele-
gram for her at the last moment which
he forgot to deliver until the trip was
half made; then he approached her
and handed her the message. The lady
was very much aStoniShed at receiving
the telegram on the high seas, but the
purser, who was wag, pointed TO
group of gulls that were following the
steamer and explained the wonders OF
the pigeon service to the passenger.
who apparently believed that pigeons
had brought the message and had
hunted out the vessel on the broad
Santa Catalina channel.
Santa Catalina is not the first place
where birds have been used on regu-
lar line During the Franco-Prussian
war carriers were employed, the mes
sages being printed by micro-photog-
raphy on waterproof films. In this
way long messages were carried, and
during the entire war over 100000
messages We're carried between Paris
and the outside world. the birds being
carried out by balloons sent out by the
beSieGed.
Remarkable as are the results of
training as exhibited in the speed of
modern pigeons, they do not compare
with the wonderful evolutions per-
formed by these birds in the last CEN
turtles in Italy. There were at that
time men who devoted themselves to
pigeon training, and the art was sup
posed to find it's perfection in certain
families, and to be handed down from
generation to generation. The art con-
sisted in training large f1ocks of pig
cons to obey their owner and to per-
form certain evolutions in the air. In
the earliest days in India birds were
trained to fight opposing bands. When
a pigeon tournament was in progress
the owners assembled some lofty build
ing and conducted the performance by
the aid of flags; and in obedience to
their signals fiocks of birds Of different
colors would wheel, rise, dive, and in
termingle, to separate again and go
through number of interesting move
ments that were remarkable for their
beauty. Prizes were offered for the
most beautiful and novel figures. In
India, in early times. where the sport
of pigeon-flying originated the object
of the flights was often a sanguinary
one, the owners of the various fiocks
endeavoring to accomplish the destruc-
ton of the others. Thus the birds of
one band would carry bombs with
fuse hanging to their claws, and at the
command of their masters would sweep
down over their opponents, and the
bombs would drop among them and ex-
plode. Others bore sharp knives, two
edged, suspended from their claws. and
We're made to dash among their antag-
onists and endeavor to cut them to
pieces-an easy matter when birds
We're in rapid motion. Today the triga-
nieri, as they are called, of Modena, de-
vote themselves to harmless pursuits.
and are satisfied when watching the
wonderful evolutions of the birds
through the air.