PIGEOXS AXI) ALL ABOUT THEM. 221 



The successful flyer not only watches to see that the proper 

 bone and muscle, the proper stamina, enters into his birds, 

 but he knows every blood line in his loft, and when he mates 

 he tries to blend the birds, the records of the ancestors of 

 which show so plainly where the coveted "homer sense" lies. 



Two great essentials in handling Homers are trapping and 

 i raining. Young birds can be taught to trap fast in a few 

 days. Let them go hungry and drive them out of the loft, 

 on a nice morning, and get them up in the air. 



Then let the bob-wires down and throw a good feed in 

 plain sight, >n the floor, and, being hungry they will soon 

 force in and go to feeding. Try it again in the evening, and 

 so on day after day, till the birds liml that the sooner they 

 bolt in, the sooner they will get to feeding. Be sure and 

 have either a very large entrance hole, or several small ones 

 so that a single bird cannot stand at the hole and beat off 

 he others that wish to enter. 



The young birds must be trained to 'homo'' and in this 

 connection I want to sound a note of warning against over- 

 working young birds. Better ten good Hies of ten miles each, 

 than one bad one of twenty-five. Training should begin at 

 say five months, for by that time the youngsters will get a 

 good knowledge of localities around the home loft. They 

 should be taken short distances, not in one direction, but to 

 all the points of the compass. 



The idea is to give them a conception of where home lies, 

 so that no matter where they are sent on long trips, the same 

 general knowledge of line of flight, will guide them. 



But. to return to my subject, and it is well to use a rubber 

 stamp, and on the wing of each biid, and on the tail feathers 

 stamp a request to notify you, (using name and address,) if 

 the bird is caught or shot. 



