Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-02-19
PIGEONS PLAY A PART IN THE WAR
European Nations Recognizing Them Important Branch Of
the Military Service-In the Crusades and the Franco
Prussan War They Helped Make History

IN happened in this fashion Soma citz.n. :,
Paris owned a few carriers. and A. occ,,r.d
to them that they might be utilized. Tss
birds were offered to the Government IA
promptly accepted.
There are several different methods Of pra
pairing and attaching the message Ths
French write their dispatches on strips a,
paper inches wide by Az inches long triply
tolded and then rolled, or else photograph
them from manuscript on films inches long
py Ia wide. goosequill 1 u long Is In some
cases slipped over one of the tail feathers
then tho message is inserted and held In
place by tiny wooden plug. Another way
is to attach tiny aluminium cylinder con-
tanning the message to one leg. Some main.
tain that the best method is to use a stru 81
very thin strong paper inches long by
of an inch wide, which is simply rolled abou!
one leg and held in place by a rubber band
When a message is attached to tail feather
so as to annoy the bird he is likely to algh
and pull the feather out and then 20 on
A Thousand Miles in 20 Days
The homing breed is of large size about IL
inches long, The pigeons are trained by be.
Ing conveyed, when young, to short distances
of few miles from home and then released
the distance being heightened until grad.
ually the birds are able to make, swiftly and
accurately, journeys between widely ser.
arated points The longest flight ever re-
corded of homing pigeon was that made BY
Alabama" from Montgomery, Ala. to Fall
River, Mass, in 1885, The journey OF 100
miles was accomplished in 20 days In The
same year Alabama" flew from JonesbcrO
10 E0s - Aa4
These are wonderful distance records, but
the greater marvel is how the bird ever found
its way home at all This remarkable ability
of the homing pigeon to steer its stralght
course has interested scientists for years. 4
French savant who after long and elaborah
study, observation and experiments, has sue
ceeded in convincing himself that the honihg
pigeon is guided solely by its wonderful
vision. This explanation may answer In ths
case of pigeons elaborately trained oYe
gradually increasing distances for nearly ths
range of their flight but 1t fails utterly u
Alabamas case. This pigeon never sss
more than an inconsiderable fraction OF hH
route near his home before he was turnsa
loose at Montgomery to find his way over
strange country for more than 1000 miles An
other explanation has been offered by
French scientist who after a series OF e.
periments consisting of the elimination ..
deadening of the senses of sight hearing aaa
smell, decided that the pigeon depends upon
the latter sense. Pigeons bllndfolded Aha
their ears closed with wax found their w.
home. But closing their nostrils with W.
rendered them helpless even for short pa
tances, His explanation was that eaeh y
callty has its individual odor, and the piss0a
by cIrcling up, gets into an air current pss'
ing the odor and follows it home
A Mile Minute
As TO speed. any ordinary homlng pikss.
can be relied upon to cover flight q S
miles in Ave to seven hours. 4 IeR g
make 500 to 500 miles. Some OF the w..
records have been made by American p'ss
One of these remarkable birds, named -
owned by ]. r. Husson, OF ofessohi
made the flight of 243 miles between g
York and it's home town in 2SI minesss
1880, which figures out at the rate OF r.
in 5s1s seconds. The fastest trains HlaAs
run of 80 miles between New York ana -
delphia In two hours, at an average
of 45 miles an hour Homlng pigeons
made some interesting altitude reeofoa,
Notwithstanding the fact that the T..
atmosphere at great heights renders -
difficult. During a balloon ascent hy -
I.ussac in 1850 homing pigeons were 49,
at an altitude of 10000 feet. They fell pss...
until they reached denser air, but then =.
straight home. Leo Stevens. the ans
aeronaut, has released homing pigeons :
altitude of $4,000 feet and 200 miles =
their home. They ali returned safely
Association
The most beautiful object in the we're.
be allowed. Is a beautiful woman.
can anaIyze his feelings Is not sensipis - s.'s
owes her fascination less to graee q
ana delleaey Of color than % he4z
elaaona which. often unpsEeeiRea p e -
connect fhsae qualities slth the ses -
existence With thz noaflshmens @ sA
with the passions q cue yoata. H.s lls
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