The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-01

like any kfrd Of playing for keeps"
 Even in kite-fy71g. they fix little hooks
 10 their kftestrngs and try to pull in each others kites and count fair to keep any kite that drops into tbeir ya1ds They will tell you that kite strange pigeon that comes to your place. If given up takes away your family luck' So you must tear the kite and keep the pigeon But when you the town dandies sannterng out with their fans and brd-cages to watch the noon kite-hyins. crticising focks and their tactics. arguing the fine points of 6ecoyng, you guess that family luck" has very little to do with their game.
 To decoy strange pigeons, pigeon-keepers must nrst train their focks to "fy in spiralsthat is rise steadily in circles without strayng far from the home roof Pigeons naturally fly together in circles Even wild pigeons wheel about in focks before strag giing of to the fields Chinese make their birds eager for circling by keeping them shut up in wicker house built the ground around the dove- cote they their birds of struggling by pelt- ing them with pebbles when they try to alight any where except spot-the Tidge-pole of the roof facing their wicker house. The flock must alight here in bunch, and immediately walk down to the This is done to bring any strange pigeon among them down within sight of the grain which is then scattered the floor of the wicker house. Pigeons fed only after flying, for unless hungry they lazy and unmalageable
 h Pekng, 1ocks sent up at sunrise, at noon, and just before sundown. Neighboring 1ocks always jon and their keepers then try each to draw apart his flock with ca-birds so as to bring with it any unwary pigeons from the other hocks. If a stranger is brought the roof the keeper coaxes it down with his own birds by throwing millet into the wicker cage.
 No one ever demands back pigeon lost in this way Two friends will sometimes play live pigeon that is give back each others birds that may be captured from the flock during the game; but the rule is to play dead pigeon" or, boys say, flor keeps"
 THE CAPTURE AND RECAPTURE OF "MU WHA
 TOU."
 Every morning when the crows all back from the cemetery pines and the upon the polished houseops that stretched unbrokenly for miles to the bue-black city walls, Little American" had watched small clouds of white winged pigeons circng high overhead-so high sometimes, that he would not them but for the faint singing of the reed whistles at their tails.
 Mu Wha You of Little Americans first ten pigeons. They all tientses-white with black tails and each with black spot like a watermelon seed on its forehead On all of them hgh-bred pigeons must have It. the white and black met in regular lines (without a struggling black feather among the white white among the black) cept on Mu Wha Ton, whose name, meaning "She Speckle-head,' given her for rings of black on her neck. These rings, which grew out myse- riorsy some weeks after Little American had bought her. very much cheapened her in the eyes of u Loo the old gateleeper who had charge of the flock and who taught Little American the secrets of pigeon Keeping But the rings caused loss of caste with the other pigeons or with Little American and he was sorely greved when her very first flight she decoyed into captivity by his sly old neigh Dor Kao Chun.