246 OUR DOMESTIC BIRDS 



attention was paid to its color. Pigeon fanciers who were not 

 interested in pigeon flying, but liked the Carrier for its other 

 characters, early developed many distinct color varieties and also 

 gave special attention to the form and carriage of the bird and 

 to the development of the ceres around the eyes and on the 

 beak. The Carrier Pigeon is now bred only as an exhibition bird. 

 The Antwerp Homer. Beginning sometime early in the last 

 century, breeders of flying pigeons at Antwerp, in Belgium, 

 developed a race which soon became celebrated for superior 

 development of the homing faculty and for great speed and 

 endurance. This race was at first called the Antwerp Carrier. 

 When the invention of the telegraph 

 made the services of pigeons as mes- 

 sengers on land unnecessary, pigeons 

 that could fly long distances were still 

 bred and trained for competitive flying 

 matches. In these, as a rule, they car- 

 ried no messages ; the object was to see 

 which bird would reach home first. So 



FIG. 194. Flying Homer 1 ,, ,, . . 



gradually the term homer was substi- 

 tuted for "carrier," and the pigeons now called Homers, or 

 Homing Pigeons, are the Antwerp Homing Pigeons. Good 

 birds of this type are larger and stronger than the common 

 pigeon, and have a bolder, more confident bearing and a more 

 attractive carriage. They show their good breeding very plainly. 

 Many of the pigeons called Homers are crosses or grades of 

 the Antwerp Homer, and are not much better in any way than 

 ordinary pigeons. 



The true Homer is also the most popular type of pigeon for 

 the production of squabs for market. Its great prolificacy, strong 

 constitution, quick growth, and large size make it a favorite with 

 squab growers. As bred for flying or for market, Homers are 

 of various colors, and the color varieties are not distinct except 



1 Photograph from C. E. Twombley, Medford, Massachusetts. 



