74 Poachers and Poaching. 



of Digdegha, the wells of Tata, as well as the 

 detachments sent out to reconnoitre towards 

 Ailet, Assur, &c., send their reports by means 

 of pigeons from the dovecote installed at 

 Massowa, whence they are forwarded to the 

 headquarters at Saati. On rainy days, and when 

 the communications are confidential, the de- 

 spatches are introduced into goose-quills and 

 sealed ; but as this operation, above all when the 

 troops are on the inarch, entails a certain loss of 

 time, they must only, when possible, write a 

 despatch on a leaf of a pocket-book with 

 which every officer and non-commissioned officer 

 is provided ; the despatch is then tied to a tail- 

 feather of the bird. Conventional signs are also 

 used in the case of a detachment being surprised 

 by the enemy and not having time to send a 

 telegram. For instance, when one or more 

 pigeons arrive at the dovecote without despatches, 

 and with the loss of some tail feathers, it is a 

 sign that the troops have been attacked. Some- 

 times marks made with colour supply such-and- 

 such information. Each detachment carries 

 three or four pigeons in a light basket of bamboo 

 and net. The distances being short, each 

 despatch is sent by one pigeon. A first despatch 

 is sent at the hour fixed in advance by the 

 commander, the others successively as there is 

 news to transmit. The pigeon-basket is borne 

 by soldiers, who relieve one another at stated 



