The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-14
LOCAL HOMING PIGEONS
INDIANAPOLIS HAS SOME OF FINEST
FLOODED BIRDS In THE WORLD.
This city to Become a District I'm Ma
tiOnaI Observation-Disclosures of
the Fast Flyers.

Homing Club will become district in the
National Federation of American Homing
Pigeon Fanciers. When this Is accom-
plshed the flights of the local birds will be
recognized and recorded by the national Sec
rotary, and the excellent work that can be
done by the noble blooded birds in the local
lofts will become known to all pigeon
fanciers. Records will be credited and the
Indianapolis birds will surely become fa-
nous. They have it in their breeding and in
their training under the careful attention
of the members of the Indianapolis Homing
Club.
This local club was organized last spring
out of the Columbia Homing Club which
had existed about six years prior to that
time The officers are: Hugo Priller, presi-
dent; e. Root,,-first vice president; A. O.
Knott, second vice president; Ed H. FOUL
lois, secretary-treasurer and race secretary;
H. c. Schroeder. George Dietz and Mr..
Eaton, members of race committee. Other
members Of the club are c. Aichorn, Charles
Aichorn, P. Root and John Dietz
The stock in the lofts of the members oe
the indianapolis Horing Club is of the best.
Besides having descendants of some of the
record makers in the United States, indiana
apolis is fortunate in having as breeders
that year r. c. Castenholz, then president
of the Columbia Homing Club, went to-
Europe and witnessed the German grand
national races from Buda-Pesth to Cologne.
distance Of about $50 miles. There were
1000 birds entered in a single race, and It
required a noble bird to win the race. Mr..
Castenholz purchased the winner of that
great race and twenty-three other birds.
making twelve mated pairs. The birds ara
still here, and they have number Of de-
scendants The winner of the first prize in
the Buda-Pesth- Cologne race is the prop
erty of Mr. Schroeder, who has three pairs
of the imported pigeons. Mr.. Foullois has
the bird which flew to nineteenth place and
several others. The winner of second prize
in the European race Of 1895 is the property
of George Dietz.
The flight from Louisville ten days ago
was won by a son of the first prize winner
at Cologne Other races have been run by
the Indianapolis Homing Club. Its first was
to Louisville in the early summer. Races
have also been flown from Bowling Green
and Nashville The Nashville race had sew
enteen starters, and fifteen of the birds
reached their lofts in this city the same
day they left Nashville. The other two
came in early the following morning. The
seven and a half hours. These races were
all for old birds, while the recent race from
Louisville was for birds under three months
old.
TRAITS OF HOMING PIGEONS.
Few people understand the homing pigeon
and it's habits and instincts. From the mis-
homer, carrier pigeon" which is so fire.
quently applied to 1t, some people have an
idea that this bird can be trained to carry
messages to and from places. This is a mis-
take The bird is homing pigeon, and Will
fly nowhere except to the loft where 1t was
raised. A homing pigeon moved to another
loft is worthless as a homer, and it is even
necessary to keep it penned up to be OF
value as breeder, for no matter how good
it's treatment in its new home it's instinct
is to fly back to it's first home. Pigeons re-
moved are often lost in their frantic en-
deavors to return to their first loft Young
birds require considerable training before
they are in condition to make long flights.
This is done by taking them a short dis
lance from home at first and releasing
them; then they are taken a greater dis
lance, and then still greater distance and
finally they get well trained that there
is hardly any distance too great for them
to recover.
A remarkable fact in connection with this
training is that the bird must be trained
for direction. 1t is always taken in the
same direction while undergoing the train
ing. If bird should learn to home ten
miles from the north, it would probably
ruin it to take it that distance to the south
the next day. Possibly the bird would get
back home, but it would more likely get
lost, and if it ever found its way back it
would be confused. 1t is the practice to
train them first in one direction we'll. Then
they may be trained for another direction,
and by degrees they will come to carry
the direction in their heads and can ba
loosed anywhere and will set out in a bee
line for home 1t has often been noticed In
libefating a number Of homing pigeons
that they fly straight up in the air first.
Some of them may hover about the START
ing point for some little time, while others
hesitate but a moment. Thus they get their
bearings and 1t is seldom that a bird gets
1t wrong. The slow ones 10 start are the
poorest trained youngest birds
UNDER VERY STRICT RULES.
The rules of the national federation are
very strict, and when record is announced
it is certain that the bird receiving credit
for the work accomplished all that was
claimed for it. Under the federation rules
birds which are TO be entered in flight
must be counter-marked with stamp from
the federation. This is made by the secre-
tary Of the local race committee, and is re-
ported Immediately to the national race Sec
rotary. This mark is placed on the primal
flight feather, whether the bird bears a
seamless band or not. The seamless band
has recently come into use. 1t is a silver
band which is slipped over the pigeons
foot when it is but few days old. 1t can
not be removed thereafter and becomes the
birds registered number.
A race from given point is not an equal
race to all birds entered. Some may belong
to lofts located several miles nearer or
farther from the starting point than others.
To make it fair for all concerned it is the
custom to start the birds from place an
average distance from the field occupied by
the district competing But the actual dis
tapce the birds fly is computed, and the
best record is calculated from the actual
distance. When the birds reach their own
lofts they are automatically timed as they
enter. Machines for timing them are fur
nished by the federation. and nothing but
the entrance Of the bird can affect them
Il