361 HOMING PIGEONS. 



netting was removed according to instructions, and the birds 

 were at liberty next morning. A man was set to watcli. 

 The cocks took sundry short flights, and by-and-by relieved 

 their mates occupied in incubation; the hens came out, and 

 at once took wing. The date now I cannot give precisely — 

 let me call it the 18th of July. On the morning of the 20th 

 I had a letter from my friend, dated the day before (the 

 19th), saying : ' The birds were yesterday morning let out, 

 but two of them have not returned. I am afraid they are 

 lost.' While in the act of reading my friend's letter, my 

 man who attends to those birds came into my ojffiice, saying : 



* I think two of Mr. 's birds are back.' Scarcely believing 



him, 1 went out into the yard, and there certainly were two of 

 the hens I had sent to Ledbury. 



"Now I can tell to a mile the distance between Glasgow 

 and Ledbury, Herefordshire, by railway; but I will let our 

 readers measure the distance as the crow flies, and decide 

 whether or not this is a very long flight. Mark, first, those 

 birds had never been trained; second, they had never been 

 in the hands of anyone till caught by me, when I pulled 

 the flight feathers from one wing of each bird. These birds 

 would leave their cote at Ledbury about 10 or 11 a.m. on 

 the 18th, and, as I did not know what day or week they 

 were to be set at liberty, of course I did not expect them, 

 and at all events I certainly did not expect they would at 

 any time return to Glasgow on the wing. For all I know, 

 they may have reached on the evening of the 18th, or during 

 the day of the 19th. Two months after this I gave a pair 

 to a friend in Paisley — a pair of yoimg ones. They had only 

 been two days outside the loft, and never had left it beyond 

 a himdred yards. They were taken away squeakers, and con- 

 fined, with a netting in front, for three weeks. When let 

 out, they were at their birthplace in ten or twelve minutes. 

 It is only seven miles to Paisley by road. Those birds had 

 never been flown." 



2 I 



