THE CARRIER PIGEON. 299 



four hours in passing, made its whole length 240 miles. 

 He then calculated that each square yard of this mov- 

 ing body contained three Pigeons, which thus gave two- 

 thousand, two hundred and thirty millions, two hundred 

 and seventy-two thousand Pigeons ! and yet this he con- 

 sidered to be less than the real number. Computing 

 each of these to consume half a pint of seed daily, the 

 whole quantity would equal seventeen millions, four 

 hundred and twenty-four thousand bushels per day. 

 Heaven, he adds, has wisely and graciously given to* 

 these birds rapidity of flight, and a disposition to range 

 over vast uncultivated tracts of the earth, otherwise they 

 must have perished in the districts where they resided,, 

 or devoured the whole productions of agriculture, as well 

 as those of the forests. 



When noticing the flight of birds, the rapidity of these r 

 and of our trained Carrier Pigeons, was alluded to*. The 

 Passenger Pigeon is particularly adapted for speed, hav- 

 ing a light active body, furnished with long wings, in 

 which the first quill-feather is equal in length to the 

 rest, a sure indication of that rapid and long-continued 

 flight which they are known to possess. This faculty, 

 in addition to the possibility of training that particular 

 species, the Carriers, to return without deviation or 

 delay to places from whence they had been removed,, 

 was, from very early days, turned to good account. We 

 learn from an ancient historian, Diodorus Siculus, that,, 

 above two thousand years ago, they were used as con- 

 veyers of intelligence, and about five hundred years ago,, 

 relays of Carrier Pigeons formed part of a telegraphic 

 system, adopted by the Turks. Regular chains of posts* 

 were established, consisting of high towers between thirty 

 and forty miles asunder, provided with Pigeons, and 

 sentinels stood there, constantly on the watch, to secure 

 the intelligence communicated by the birds as they ar- 

 rived, and to pass it on by means of others. The note 

 was written on a thin slip of paper, enclosed in a very 



* See page 78. 



