El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-06-28
US.ArmyNeedS
2O,OOOPigeOnS
For WarSerUiCe
Little Messengers More De-
pendable Than Wires or
Wireless In Battle.
IL FREDERIC J. HAskIN.

Washington, y. c. June 25.-The
signal corps is calling upon American
/ breeders for 10000 homing pigeons to
I be used in France. The department
1 Of agriculture has established a loft
Of the birds at its experimental farm.
( where it will study the problems Of
raising and training them. Congress
I has passed a law making it a serious
l crime to shoot a homing pigeon. Pig
I con training stations have been estab-
Ilished in all parts or the country. and
there is a pigeon recruiting officer
I in Boston. Homing pigeon fanciers.
who were a short time ago regarded
as followers Of q peculiarly useless
/ fad, are now officers OF high rank
and among the most valued Of military
1 specialists.
All Of this is evidence that the pig
con has become a bird Of high i'm
I portance. As a matter Of fact. the
l pigeon has proved the surest and most
reliable means OF maintaining a liai-
son between forces under fire, and the
only one that can be used regularly
under all conditions.
Not stopped By BarrnEe.
when a successful barrage fire has
which it is cooperating. telephone
lines are invariably destroyed. visual
signaling is rendered impossible by
smoke and dust, runners are killed or
delayed. and alrplaues often cannot
rise from the ground. But under these
conditions, the homing pigeon, so tiny
that he is barely visible from the
ground swift as an express train.
stronger in viii and memory than any
man, viii carry message safely SO
times out Of 100. The French records
show that only 81 percent Of the birds
released with messages fail TO reach
their destinations. The loss Of birds
runs from six to Is percent but most
Of these die Of exhaustion after reach
ing the coop.
The most important use Of the pl-
geon. next TO that In maintaining liai-
son between forces under fire. IS 20
carry messages from aerial observers.
whether in balloon or plane. Pigeons
released at an elevation Of 5000 feet
have successfully returned to their
coops. and they are regularly flown
from the elevation OF 5000. IF the
thing is skilfully done. the bird can
be released from q plane travelling at
100 milesf an hour And for this use
pigeons have the great advantage over I
all other means OF communication in I
that they can carry a small map or Is I
feet OF moving picture film.
aaH aAEEA are EEn-LaAAN EELetl- i
with duplicates OF any Important l
message; yet so completely are the 7
birds relied upon thar n they are
scarce, a message Is often entrusted Z
TO only one.
Must BE We'll Treated.
The homing pigeon is docile. intel
ligent and full OF temperament. His
eye is remarkably expressive lie i
must be kept in the pink Of condition.
ike gifted men, or he cannot do his
best work. and his surroundings must
be attractive and comfOrta Die.
The usefulness Of the hominE ui- ].
geon, as IS wen known. depends upon
an instinct strengthened by selective /.
breeding, which imDels him to fly
back TO his home from wherever he
finds himself His training consists
simply in allowing him to exercise this
instinct flying longer and longer dis
tances as his strength and viii de-
velop.
The signal corps necessarily buys
only young birds, paying So for each
OF them. These are placed fin Coops 1
on wheels which thus become the
homes OF the birds. TO which they viii
always return.
Had &c not been for the pigeon fan
,iers. the government would now have
difficulty. not only in
obtaining birds but in training them
The homing pigeon was largely used
IN the wars OF long ago, and has
played some part in most modern
Tars.