An Improved Jess to Keep Down Homing Pigeons while in Training, and for the General Purposes of a Jess.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Sept., 1894-Accepted, 27th Oct., 1894
An Improved Jess to Keep Down Homing Pigeons while in Training,
and for the General Purposes of a Jess.
I, MAY ARNOLD, Spinster Gentlewoman of Whitethorns in the Parish of Acton,
in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In place of the ring (A) with a spring-clip forming the usual catch, I now use
for a bird-manacle an elongated or oval link, whose ends flattened (B) and
contracted, or otherwise shaped to the same width as the clip, form a rest for it, &
so act, when the pull of the fitted jess is against the catch each way, that the
pigeon, when impatient of the jess, has no power to ease it or get any purchase
towards release by turning the ring somewhat round while in the hold of the clip.
My method forms a new & superior catch available for every manacle in which the
pull is against the link one way against the clip another way. Secondly, in place
of uncovered leather, or of tape, string, bobbin or such like material capable of
being soaked or saturated, & so apt in rainy weather to set up chill in the body of
the pigeon, or neuralgia or inflammation in the sensitive parts of the wings, I, by
my new method, employ pure or vulcanized or otherwise prepared rubber in the
parts of the jess that are in contact with living flesh, skin or muscle; the rubber
being rendered available for the purpose by combination with a second material.
Whereas rubber is not alone or in itself a material suitable for a tight ligature,
but when limited by another material pliable like itself, but, unlike it, incapable of
extension or drawing out, it becomes so; I by the use of sufficiently fine chain of
a smooth make, or of other second material possessing the above characteristics,
such as leather cut into thong, in unison with the rubber or imbedded or set within
it supply a composite material by the use of which the jess can be constantly worn
without any danger from moisture. This composite or combined material of rubber
& metal chainwork, or of rubber & other unstretchable or slightly stretchable
material, has a second value in that the rubber very thoroughly prevents the chain-
work about which it is wrapped or which is set or imbedded in it, from galling. It
has also a third value in a special action on the joint of the pigeon's wing, & on its
movements. The rubber clings to the living skin, & yields & contracts with the
motion of the joint, while the chain work limits the stretching action, so that the
two together tend to prevent the efforts of the pigeon to twist the jess out of place
& so stop it from acting.
The use of indiarubber, (either pure or prepared by vulcanization or otherwise,)
containing chainwork or unstretchable material within it, or having it combined
with it, is entirely novel in connection with fetters or jesses for pigeons or other
fowl.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion & the manner in which the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In a jess, the replacing of the ring (A) held by a spring-clip by an elongated
or oval link with ends of or about the width of the clip (B), which thus cannot
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page_text: 2. In a jess, the use of indiarubber (either pure or prepared by vulcanizing or
otherwise), in combination with metal chain or other unstretchable material
imbedded or set in it or conjoined with it.
Dated this 10th day of September 1894.