from the certainty with which they find, their home yhere^
they were bred, and that,, in some cases,, from an almost; incredible
distance. When, however, th.c training these, birds,
undergo is explained,, the experience thereby attained* their:
powers of vision uninterrupted from jthe„ elevation they .take,,
and some recollection of prominentrobjects with their bearing-
upon the locality, of the desired point, th,e difficulty is .greatly
diminished. - These birds are: generally bred in: .lpfts- at
the top of the house, from whence*, when, .able,, the young
birds accompany their^ parents., in their daily . excursions,
around, andT thus learn to; distinguish, their. own .rpof from
any: other. ..; The further' .directions,, are. thus giveni in a,
work om Fancy Pigeons.:—?
“ In to train a Pigeon for this purpose, take a
strong, ^-ly-fledged,./’Noting' Carrier, and convey it in a
basket or bag,' about half a mile from home, and there turn
it loiser; having, repeated this two or - three times, then take
i$|two*-„four*weight, ten, or twelve miles, and so' on, till they
will rftjarn;froin^^fri'Qst remote parts of thfekingdom-; for
if #hey-arei iibt practised ?wfien7young, 4b& best of them will
flysb-ut , ■ insecure!^, and- stand a great- ehanee-of being lost.
Be careful, that the-Pigeon intended to. be flown tis kept in
the dark, andf without food, for about', eight hours before it is
le ^ (^ |l^ v h e n , it will imme,dSI,M^Hse, and «sund* as-
.•i§«their cubtom^will continue on thb wing' till it- has reached
I ts bom.JIM
The "spiral flight, when, first let loose, is a flight of observation,
ffromJwhieh^agL soon asttle' bird has reached sufficient.
M^vakfon, -and gain efli the sight ^of a known object^ he goes off
in a direct line/rto his point. ShfiMd fog or haze occur the
bird.wouM probabl yg||;e;;Ibst ■ ’
E x ampl^'of poltfr^and speed are thus recorded : —- In
July 180S,7a twa^ek>was decided by setting off three Pigeons,
belonging to a young man named Wilson,'" in the Borough,
who undertook that thbykwoiild fly thirty-five miles in one
hour. They were accordingly sent off the same evening at
five o’clock, five miles beyond Tunbridge Wells, and arrived
at the residence of their owneilin the short space of fifty-
three minutes,,being*sev.en«ihinutes within the time allowed.
A gentlCmanrhaving a wager depending on the event, sent a
Pigeon by the stage coach tohis friend at Bury St. Edmonds,
with a note requestingthat the„ bird, two days after his arrival
there, might .be thrown up precisely when the town clock
struck nine in the morning/ which was accordingly done, and
the Pigeon flew into the loft; of the Bull Inn, .Bishopsgate
Street, London, and was there shown at half past eleven
o’clock the same morning, having flown seventy-two miles in