PIGEON FLYING. 155 



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miles, and that one should arrive at his loft, in the 

 Sanctuary, St. George's Fields, within four hours 

 and a half. The other part of the match was fifty 

 pounds, that the second bird would not be at home 

 in five hours and a half, and a like sum that the 

 the third would not in seven hours. The event 

 proved as follows ; the first bird was at the end of 

 his flight in twelve minutes within the given time, 

 and the second bird arrived within five hours ; but 

 the others were not heard of during the day. 



In July 1828, fifty-six carriers, brought to London 

 from Liege, were flown in the neighbourhood of 

 Aldersgate-street, at thirty-four minutes past four 

 o'clock, A. M. One of them, called Napoleon, 

 reached its destination, a distance of three hundred 

 miles,, at about twenty-four minutes past ten o'clock 

 the same morning, having thus accomplished its 

 journey in five hours and fifty minutes, which is 

 somewhat beyond the speed of the eagle, a heavy 

 bird, stated to be about forty-five miles per hour. 

 The other pigeons followed in succession, and most 

 of them reached Liege at noon. This is a large 

 city in Westphalia, long famous for the pigeon fancy. 

 In July, 1829, another prize flight took place, with 

 forty-two pigeons, between Maestricht and London. 

 The first bird lost by a few minutes, though it tra- 

 velled at the rate of forty-five miles per hour. 



By what kind of natural qualification birds are 

 able to explore their way across such immense dis- 

 tances of land and sea, seems to mock all human 

 powers of enquiry : and granting the accuracy of 

 ancient relations in respect to the regular and suc- 

 H (> 



