138 OUR DOMESTIC FOWLS. 



she was apt to forget lier young, and, there- 

 fore, not fit to be trusted. Upon inquiring 

 into the manner of training the pigeon for 

 this service, I was told by some that she was 

 at once sent down to Scanderoon in a cage ; 

 but I am rather inclined to believe what was 

 affirmed by others, that she was taught by 

 degrees to fly from shorter distances on the 

 Scanderoon road." 



It would appear that these pigeons, when 

 let fly from Scanderoon, instead of bending 

 their course towards the high mountains sur- 

 rounding the plain, mounted at once directly 

 up, soaring almost perpendicularly till out of 

 sight, as if to surmount at once the obstacles 

 intercepting a view of their place of destina- 

 tion. It is not often in the present day that 

 the carrier pigeon is employed on really im- 

 portant services, yet in the late sir D, Wilkie's 

 picture of the siege of Saragossa, a carrier 

 pigeon is in the bands of one of the party, 

 either returning with news, or about to be 

 despatched. Doubtless, the great painter had 

 good authority for it. 



It must not be supposed that this peculiar 

 breed of pigeon is exclusively fitted for the 

 purposes above described ; any breed of good 



