74 LIFE OF TEGETMEIER 



to constant writing and lecturing, Tegetmeier 

 procured for and supplied various Government 

 services, including the Colonial Office for the 

 West Coast of Africa, with homing pigeons. 

 Thus it was through birds obtained from him that 

 the news of the fall of Sevastopol was first con- 

 veyed to Colombo, from Point de Galle, Ceylon, 

 where the ships to India landed their despatches. 

 The distance is seventy miles, and presumably 

 the telegraph wires had not then been laid. At 

 any rate the old colombophile afterwards referred 

 with pride to the fact that the British officers 

 and residents in the capital of the Island received 

 the joyful news first by means of his pigeons. 

 In this connection it is of interest to note that 

 the first news of Wellington's victory at Waterloo 

 was similarly received by the British Govern- 

 ment through the agency of pigeons. These 

 were sent to Baron Rothschild, who was thus 

 enabled to inform the Government — a fact men- 

 tioned by Tegetmeier in his Lecture at the 

 Zoological Gardens in June, 1876. 



Great interest in the first pigeon races from 

 the Crystal Palace and in their originator was 

 taken by the newspaper press of the time. 

 The Graphic^ in particular gave good reports, 

 and illustrated one '^with a half -page drawing, 

 engraved on wood, showing the start of the birds. 

 The since deiunct^Illnstrated Times, of July 1st, 

 1871, also had_a^"fine, large engraving showing 



