Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1918-09-28

Pigeon training has become an in
teresting as well as valuable activity
in the new army of the United States.
Pigeon lofts are maintained at many
of the army camps and aviation fields
throughout the country Each loft
is numbered just as every air squad
ron and every regiment of infantry,
cavalry and artillery is numbered The
birds are taken over by the govern
ment before they are old enough for
raw recruits; are fed and conditioned
to make them strong, and then are
given course of training Just as are
human recruits in the regular estab-
lishment
When the training of these young
pigeons is completed they go over
seas, the same as the soldiers. The
Birds play their part on the battle
line, are killed and wounded, and some
are taken prisoner, but like the horses
and dogs with which they serve in the
great war, they are never decorated,
never cited for bravery in action and
never appear in the reports of casual
ties.
Two of the flying centers where
pigeons are specially trained are Kelly
and Carruthers fields in Texas. Not
fewer than 70 pigeons are sent over
seas from Kelly field every six weeks.
They come to Kelly lofts when about
three months old and are trained by
| IL II.
weeks before they are considered fit
for duty. The lofts are mobile. cor
responding to those in use in France.
and when the training of the birds is
finished mt Kelly field they are ready
to go directly to the trenches.
The first period of advanced training
of these pigeons comes with flock toss
ing, after they have learned to return
| to their lofts when liberated at dis
tances of from two to twenty miles
from the field. That Is, they are set
free in groups to prevent their being
confused and consequently separated
and lost. AS soon ms they have been
liberated several times in this manner
and have found their way home again
they are taken out and tossed indi
vldualy. Each pigeon has a number
and by hell devices mt the entrance o.
the coop, their arrivals and the time of
| their flights are kept on record. As
soon rs bird shows unfaiing ability
to return home quickly he is ready for
service overseas.
A white flag is the signal most com
monty used fc,' training these mesSen-
ger birds. They soon learn that when
this white flag is raised over their lofts
they are to stay away for exercise, and
when the flag comes down they may
return for their food. On some fields,
when the birds stray considerable
distance from their loft, they are called
back by the rafting of tin pan.
TO help the pigeons recognize their
cotes the latter are painted in yellow
and white stripes. No matter where a
pigeon from Carruthers field is taken
thereafter or in what direction, ii will
not alight ON any building except its
own loft, which means. of course, that
wherever the pigeons go, the loft from
which they were trained goes with
them. 1t is only recently that the use
| of pigeons as messengers has been at
tempted from airplanes. The birds
when used for this purpose are carried
in baskets in the fuselage and great
are must be exercised in releasing
them to prevent the propeller blades
from striking them. The aviators or
balloonists who handle them also have
to be instructed in the manner in
which they release the birds for fight.
Dropping the birds at high attitudes
| also requires special forms of training
for the birds and instruction for the
| aviator.