Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1919-01-16

completely
days, with method of communicating word
of their plight the general in command That
fourth night of the scouting in No Mans
Land stumbled dead comrade on whose
back strapped basket carrying two little
pigeons during four-day battle had been
safeguarded by the body of their caretaker. Zen
derby the scout brought the basket and birds
back to the colonel the hill. Early the next
morning messages We're written, affiNed TO the
legs of the birds. which. exhausted and dust
soiled, but fmbued with indomitable spirit and
pluck. nberated-wafted the air by the
prayers and wishes of the regiment, bearing with
them the only remaining hope for these thousands
OF men and the happiness or other thousands IN
their families at home Shortly afterward both
birds 1uttered YEARLY into their loft back at
headquarters; and in a sortie ordered by the
eral the enemy was driven back and the regiment
saved
One of the officers of that regiment
Washington. and he has promised himself that
best birds he get, and the best
tention that possible will be but a slight part
the little feathered messengers to whom he and
his comrades their lies
These little birds have been almost
every conceivable way to get word back to the
reserves to Headquarters when all other
means of communication failed.
Carrier pigeons are not only used by the in
fantry and the navy but used frequently by
the air service At the Dunkirk hydroplane sta
been q single accdent TO a nlane nor rho ios ~
a plane in combat word Of the occurrence
brought back by the pigeons which are
a part of the equipment of the planes Instances
of he messengers could be multi
piled without number, but it is more interesting
TO recount how these birds are bred re,red and
: housed under conditions
The pigeons ability to do all of these wonderful
tasks lies in its faculty orientatfon.
to know it is released w hat
direction its home loft is and fly directly to it,
The perfection to which orientation developed
In the highly bred and trained homer recently
demonstrated at a pigeon fly conducted by the
pigeon section of the signal corps. when 81
honing pigeons We're released in Washington for
fly to New York city. 224 miles. To a single
bird. pigeons out of their coops and
the with speed of an express
train. and after taking half to get their
bearing off for New York Every one of
the pigeons was reported to have arrived prompt
and the first arrival made in ) hours
and 40 minutes Surely it did stop to read
many sign posts the way.
Just hoIning pigeon developed This
power of orientatfon is a question but IL is
certain it has been cultivated through CEN
turtles until it is almost uncanny Whar
guides pigeon back the where it first
names, you will find person knows
that he has riddle Some can
it innate of home: others attribute to fac
ulty atmospheric conditions. sight, memory
Personally cannot call it anything or loss
than highly developed We md in
lesser degree in horses. dogs cats. and In
other birds it seems to be developed little less
markedly, with sufficient accuracy so th.t
they migrate annually thousands OF miles without
When W. remember the potent of
ton O.
careful breeding selection which homing
Yiee undergone 1t is not wonderful
ehey have developed the honng instinct o high
degree. I their cousins the fan-taiIed
nfneons. bred o a degree of fneness
ts.sg weighed only a few ounces apiece and were