The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-11-20
SCHOOL PIGEONS
FOR WAR WORK
Birds Are Prepared for Battle
Just the Same as
the Men.
PLAY BIG PART IN FIGHTING
Many Times Garry Messages, That
Mean Life and Death-Spend
but Short Time In the Front
Line Trenches.

With the American Army In France.
Pigeons must be schcoled and pre-
pared for battle just the same as men.
OF the thousands of pigeons flying
over the battle lines, carrying mes
sages and playing their part In the
fight against Germany. all have been
carefully trained. Having natural
"homing' instinct, owing to their
breeding, the birds practically train
themselves, but they work under SUI
pervision of soldiers assigned to the
pigeon corps" because of their knowl-
edge of the birds.
When a flock of pigeons Is installed
In "a certain cote, II Is kept confined
closely for several days. The birds
are given little food. Then they are
released. Not being well fed, and
therefore not very strong, they will fly
only "a few hundred yards from the
cote. Upon their return they are CIV
en- more food. Next day they are lib
Grated again. This time they will fly
somewhat farther than on the first day,
and again their rations will be in
creased.
BY the third day the pigeon really
goes to work schooling itself. The
birds instinct Is to become familiar
with the country about its home cote.
The flock will take to the wing on be-
Ing released, and swing In an ever
widening circle about the cote. All the
time, as 1t flies, each bird Is studying
the terrain, landmarks by which Ii can
find its way home. The next step Is to
carry the pigeons up toward the line
for training
Time In Trenches Short.
Life In the front line isn't any cas-
Ter for a pigeon than for a man. Con-
s%equently q birds trick In the trench
es on a stable sector Is only 4S hours.
AT the end of that time, If not sent
back with a message, the pigeon Is
released to fly back home for a dry
roost and a good meal.
When not on duty, pigeons are kept
In a dugout and are reasonably safe
from shellfire. But for protection af.
forded them they would be exposed to
instant death from gas.
Carried forward with each basket of
pigeons is a big square Ncontainer re-
sembling a piece of ~tarpaulin. That's
the pigeons "gas mask" Made of
strong. heavy, waterproof material,
the "gas mask" fits over the entire
basket of pigeons. 1t Is lined on the
inside with chemically-treated material
that ~neutralizes the effect OF gas. In
case of a gas alarm, the soldier look
Ing after the pigeons picks up the bas.
ket, opens up the big %container, puts
the basket of pigeons inside and closes
1t, the folds at the top being so ar
ranged that II can be made alright.
Danger From Hawks.
In addition to gas and shell fire the
pigeons have their enemies of the air
to combat in carrying out their mis-
sions. A heavily wooded district is es-
pecially dangerous for wal pigeons.
Many of the birds have been killed
In such places by hawks. A pigeon
usually will avoid flying yer a wood
NuthcfSh ptSsiDits Out OAtCu WhCu
forced to take such a course is com
PEELED to fly for Its life as a hawk
suddenly swoops from the wood.
IL the pigeon lives through shell fire,
gas, escapes hawks and arrives near
its cote safely, still another danger may
be waiting, IL the bird Is nervous and
refuses to be trapped" In many
cases the messages by the birds mean
life or death. Consequently there
can be no delay in getting them from
the pigeons little message box once II
arrives at the cote. The pigeon men,
therefore, keep a shotgun close by. and
are under orders to shoot down any
pigeon that does not alight a its cote
promptly.
Pigeons have played a prominent
part In all fighting in which Ameri-
a n have participated, from the first
raids In Lorraine through the battle OF
Cantigny, the fighting through the
Marine region and on to the st. Mihiel
victory. Originally 1900 birds were
brought to France from the United
States. More have come over from
time to time, and pigeons from French