The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1897-07-02
HOMING PIGEONS.
POINTS FROM FANcleRs ON THESE
INTELLIGENT BIRDS.

Careful Observer Declare That the BIRD
Fly By slght-The Four Points In Hom
ias Pigeoss which Fsnciers Consider d
Prime importance.
What the peculiar gift 10 which en-.
ables the pigeon 10 return to its home
from great distances Is . matter upon
winch authorities disagree The most
general opinion among those who know
anything Of the subject is that the birds
fiy 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 lost in the
London foRa The fact that instinct ID
unerring and that the homing pigeon
not only frequently errs, but exhibits ut
times great indecision a. to the correct
course for him to pursue. seems to pre-
clude the idea that he il governed solely
by instinct The theory which il most
generally accepted il that the bird ID
gifted with remarkable eyesight and
also with memory for landmarks which
is superior to . similar faculty in any
other animal That the bird possesses a
high order Of intelligence 10 shown from
the fact that homers which have become
lost in q 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 rae
Ing purposes even the best fanciers often
pick out birds ~ most like racers that
cannot fly 30 miles without becoming
lost The meanest. most scraggy looking
bird. without single good point, some
times leaves its handsome competitor,
who is. to all appearances. perfect in
physical proportions. far in the rear.
Still. fanciers look with interest at four
points in q homing pigeon which are
considered Of prime importance. The
first Of these ia, strange a. the fact may
appear to q novice in the art. the eye.
Mr.. Starr. one of the foremost and most
successful Of American faDciers. has
this to say u the eye:
THE white eye may mean the cumu-
let, and. il 90. indicates that the bird
will 6y high. have great endurance and
wing power. II the eye is dark. the head
round and the beak short and close fit
ting. there will be Q prepondeFance Of
the owl type. and the result will be
that the bird will 6y 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 50
placed that the bird should have view
Of what is behind ~ well a. before it.
When q bird returns from . journey
over much new territory. this protrusion
of the eyebsll il greatly increased. show
ing u what great strain the powers Of
vision have been subjected.
While Mr.. Starr, in common with
other successful American fanciers, pays
little or NO attention either to the size
or shape Of the head. this point is the
second at which European fanciers look
with interest II 10 generally conceded
that the shape makes but little differ
ence. The skull may be dat long and
narrow. or high, short and wide. but IL
must have room for the brain, and for 9
large brain ut that, or else the bird il
not considered . likely candidate for
racing honors. Great stress 10 laid on
this organ by all Belgium and Holland
fsnciers. but in this country the feature
IL almost entirely overlooked.
The Ghost should be broad and 10 Of ~
great Importance a. the wing. A mar
row chested bird can ny no great dis
lance without exerting the muscles
which give fullness to the breast beyond
their endurance. The wings and tail
should both be exceptionally long, a
the tail acts az rudder. and the short.
er wings require much added exertiou
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 ID
well de, ,loped at the age Of 10 weeks.
IL 10 thought best to give considerably
longer time for the brain to develop be-
fore the bird In trained for the work
which lies ahead Of him. At the eye Of
I months the first trial trips may b
made, and he 10 then flown from dis.
tances Of between and 90 miles at in
tervals Of two or three days apart
Many birds are lost in these trial trips,
and those which return safely from the
longer trial trips may be considered al
70 enter In the young bird races. The
shortest Of these is 100 miles in length.
and birds are not supposed TO be flown
moro than 90 miles before taking part
in the speed trials.
For the young birds the system al
training 10 supposed to accomplish two
widely different results. In the FIRST
place they teach the young bird to re-
turn 10 his loft, and In the second they
develop the muscles and prepare them
for the hard work which the races viii
require Ut them. Training trips for old
CT birds are made with the sole view OF
getting their muscles limbered mp again
and touehened for the longer races. =
Chicago Chronicle.
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