365 HOMING PIGEONS. 



" My father died twenty years ago, at the age of seventy-six, 

 and he often told me that the birds he had when he was a boy 

 had more wattle on the beak and round the eye than the birds 

 I kept about thirty years ago; but at that time a pigeon which 

 had flown a distance of twenty-five miles was looked upon as a 

 very good bird, and the very few birds which had been sent 

 to be thrown from Paris — that is, about a hundred and fifty 

 'miles from Brussels — were considered to be most wonderful 

 and exceptional birds. 



"Since then you know what regular training has done. 

 During the season, about 100,000 to 150,000 pigeons are sent 

 every Saturday from all parts of Belgium, to be thrown from 

 all parts of France, and Auch, Bordeaux, Bayonne, Biarritz, 

 and St. Sebastien (Spain), are now the stations they are 

 generally sent to. 



"There are now upwards of 1000 pigeon societies in 

 Belgium." 



M. La Perre de Roo sent me several lots of Antwerp Carriers, 

 all of which were descended from the birds presented to the 

 French Government, after the war of 1870, by MM. D'Hanis 

 and Gits. I have kept the strain pure, and supplied numerous 

 fanciers with their produce, many of which have flown long 

 distances. They are easily trained up to 100 miles during 

 their first season. 



As feeders for my Pouters these Antwerps are the best birds 

 I ever employed. They are larger than the Homers usually 

 seen, and such prolific breeders that I am never without fat 

 squabs for the table. 



Exhibition Antwerp Pigeons. 



Although a Homing Antwerp Carrier of the highest type 

 has little in its appearance to distinguish it from birds which 

 could not possibly home a moderate distance with certainty, 

 it has been usual for some years to exhibit the Homer for 

 prizes in the show-pen. This method has been of great use 



