The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-19
BACKYARD FANCtERS WI
MANY SHOW N
A Large Proportion Of the Birds at the Garden Next
Month viii Come From Coops Of
City Dwellers.

yard back OF the building. Pigeons OF
such size and value could not 10 turned
loose without risk for exercising nights
In the heart Of town.
Record homers, on tho contrary, have
loops at prominent locations IN the lower
part Of the city which h birds may
easily find on returning to the coope
with messages. Several coops whicn
house homers used when needed BY the
newspapers are located on the tops Z
the warehouses near the Brooklyn
Bridge, while others are In houses
erected on the roofs OF the newspaper
buildings. Tho owners breed their Pig
cons In tho training cOOpB frequently
but as a rule they have enough TO 90 IN
making reliable message carriers OF tneir
young birds under the reQuf rcments OF
the Homing Pigeon Association.
Back yard fsnciers are the leaders ! N
Jacobins. fantaile. frills. ehow homefs'
owls, magpies and nll the plumage types,
while they hold their own In producing
blue ribbon winner with pouters ~
piEmy pouters. tho most difncult OF AL
breeds to keep true to the OK
perfection which ID the manual OF the
American Poultry Association ana the
fanc.ers bible.
pouters are q favorite With Scotch
fanciers and they call them KINGS o
the 10 eS. Inc DlB, uuttihB O'hoc,
with the airs and protruding chests OF
n drum major OF parade. are grand
enough to deserve a royal title and any
fancier VIII has nursed them through all
sorts of ills that their breathing appa-
ratuses are heir to and conquered the
intricacies Of their diet 50 that they Win
thrive and multiply. be he a back yard
or a country gentleman recder. Will
agree that they arc the ~aristocrats OF
the pigeon tribes. And to raise the
| pigmy sorts IL said TO be even moro DIFF
fcult. for II h claimed the worries Of
the fanciers increase as the size OF their
birds diminish.
One Of the most attractive Of the city
owned birds Is the highfyer pigeon. The
breed originated in tho densely popu-
lated cities of Europe and II is a pigeon
Of the roottops. purely aerial In its
habits and scorning to alight even to pick
W food o. the ground. There are hun
dreds of them kept by back yard fan
ciers in and about New York. and ef-
forts are to be made to have mo classes
for the %highfyers a special feature at
the coming exhibition.
The owners SEND their focks aloft for
exercising lights at stated hours I'm the
morning n evening and the whirllng.
closely grouped birds form a picturesque
sight as they swing high IN air above
the crowded city streets. A great game
Of the owners Is to send their fiocks into
a midair collision. as II were, and the
group that comes from the fray back
10 the coop augmented in numbers by
two or three strays won from the riva
flock is the point winner in the aeria!
game.
The merit Of tho flock Is to keep to-
gether in these conflicts of flights and
TO charm TO its ranks as many recruits
AZ II may from the other flock. No
owner will ever admit a defeat by call
ing In at the home OF a rival fancier
TO get back the pigeons lost in these
flights. Instead, the local bird store. or
some beer saloon kept BY a friend o.
both parties, is the clearing house for
the return OF the missing birds, and there
is always a forfeit to be paid by the
loser.
Among friends the forfeit may only
be a treat Of the sandwiches and l.quids
10 wash them down among strangers
or when the owners are too Jealous Of
the fame OF their highhyers to settle the
profit and loss account caused by q
mixing OF flocks In mid air in such q
sociable manner an indemnity must bt
paid over in cash.
Here Is where the local bird store
proprietor becomes an active interne.
diary in arranging terms. II is one o.
the charms OF the business. accordins
to those who play the game, and the Joy
Of enacting the part Of referee is tn,
most attractive part OF the occupation
The first move is the appearance of III,
owner OF the winning flock. with an In
quiry as to whether any ore would Tx,
to buy a couple OF h!ghfyers that hav,
by sorne chance found a home with hi,
flock.
The ~storekeeper assumes the care O
the birds. to be sold on n commission
The second move is the appearance o
tho losing owner. who makes casual In
Quiries as to the stock Of highhyers oil
hand. Then ensues n close bickerin,
over the ransom to be paid. for this 4
what the transaction really amounts to
between the losing owner. who pretend
he has never seen the pigeons before bu
who has really recognized them as tn
missing and valued members Of his flock
and the storckeeper. who While famil!a
with all the facts must pretend to b
merely actuated by the ordinary I'm
pulses of trade.