The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-04
MESSAGES SENT IN QUILLS.
uouING PIGEONS WAY OF CARRY
ING LETTERS.

NeclSs But Fastened by 81 wire to
che Middle Tail Feather-Weather
observer Boyer's Experiments and
Experiences With Pigeons at Key
Nest-TheOries of the HOming Pig
cons knowledge of Direction.
The recent use of carrier pigeons by the
b.leaguered English garrisOns in South
africa has again brought into notice the
value of such messengers in time of war
and the efficient service that they can
render when properly trained.
of some of the experiments made with
rigsons by the United States government
Mr.. H. B. Boyer, observer in charge of
the weather bureau of this city, under
whose auspices as observer in charge of
the bureau at Key West, experiments
were conducted with a cote of 100 birds
The cote was established by the United
States army and the experiments lasted
through the years 1SS9-91. During the lat
ter year the birds and the records that
had been compiled were taken in charge
BY the navy department and sent to An
napolis.
The pigeons used at the Key West sta
ton were of the Belgian or Antwerp breed
which is considered the best. Each bird
was marked by having around one leg a
small German silver band, on which was
engraved the name of the station The
birds were trained by being carried a
short distance away from the cote and re-
leased when they would Immediately
return home. Each time they were taken
farther away until the distance was sew
eral hundred miles. There are various
theories to account for the homing pig
cons tendency to return to its native cote
and the strenuous efforts it will make
and the fatigue it will undergo
in order to accomplish this desire, but
no theory yet advanced satisfactorily &C
counts for the means by which it is en-
abied to know where that home is after
being carried long distance away
One theory is based on the well-known
fact that when released the bird circles
until it reaches a great hight and then
flies straight in the direction of its home
cote. Owing to his habit this was
thought that the bird assembled to such
hight that with its sharp eye ii could des-
cry its home, which thus served as
guide for its flight. That this theory is
not the right one was proved when
number of birds were taken from Ant
werp to London and released They re-
turned safely, but in order 10 have seen
Antwerp from London they would have
had to ascend to hight of 22SOO feet. an
utter impossibility, as they could neither
fly nor live a such an altitude as was
proved by liberating them at that hight
from a balloon when they fell far
below before they were able to control
their movements.
Another theory that at first seems plaus-
ible is that the birds return home by I'M
erring instinct, but this also is disproved
by the facts that they cannot fly at night.
neither can they fly during a fog or
snow storm
One of the peculiarities of the carrier
pigeon is its aversion to flying over large
bodies. or stretches of water unless land
can be seen on the opposite side Owing
to this distaste of the bird many of the
experiments of Mr.. Boyer proved abortive
as none of the birds sent to Cuba or the
Bahamas ever returned.
Some of the experiments made at Key
West had most unusual endings: once
two birds were given to Capt Hanlon,
now of the Grande Duchesse, but then ply
ing between Key West and Havana, with
the request that they be liberated eighty
miles at sea. This request was comp led
with, although a gale was blowing at the
time. Nothing was seen of the birds at
the cote and they had been given up for
lost when three months later the observer
received letter and one of the birds from
the captain of an English ship, who stat
ed that on a previous trip to Havana,
while near the Bahamas, one of the birds
in an exhausted condition had lighted IN
his ship and been captured by one of the
crew. Not having an opportunity of re-
turning it sooner he had taken it to
Havre and back again to Havana before
forwarding it.
AS an illustration of the tendency TO re-
turn TO their home cote may be cited the
case of several pair that were sent from
Germantown, Pa, for breed ng purposes,
being released several months later tn V
Immediately started for their former
home and, though there is no record of
any having actually reached there, two,
at least, managed to get within the state
borders. one being caught while in an eX
hausted condition near the former home,
and the skeleton of the other, with the Deg
band attached. being found near Har l.
burg several months after its departure
from Key West.
The general idea that a pigeon carries
letter attached to its neck or under its
wing, an opinion probably started and GER
tainly fostered by romantic pictu es 4
birds bearing missives of love attached in
this way, is erroneous. Messages borne
by pigeons are written on eXceedinglv thil
paper and enclosed in quill. This q I'LL
is then sealed and ia tened by fire ccp er
wire to the middle tail eather of the bi d.
The p geon has been employed for car
rying messages from the earli st times
We are informed that the victors in the
olympic games conveyed to friends at
home the tidings of their triumph by
pigeons. Pliny states that when Decimus
Juuius Brutus was besieged in Mutina
CModcna) by Mark Antony, and the con-
suls Hirtius and Pansa, with Octavius
came to ra Sc the siege-43 b. C.-Brutus
communicated with the consus by pig
cons hat flew over the heads of the be-
s. gers Commenting on this, Pl ny says:
What service did Anthony derive from
bis trenches and his vigilant blockade
and even from his nets stretched across
the river while the winged messenger
was raversing the air?"
1t $ well known that Nour-ed deem Nah
moud, Mohammedan ruler Of Syria
and Egypt-1l45 to 1174-had a
regular postal service. From his residence,
A. trI-