78 PIGEONS AND THE PIGEON FANCY J 



sharpshooters, upon its arrival the despatches were inter- 

 preted with a microscope, distributed, or publicly displayed. 



During the siege, sixty-four balloons came out of Paris 

 containing ninety-one persons and three hundred and sixty 

 three pigeons. Of the pigeons, only seventy-three found 

 their way back; a few of them, however, two or three 

 times, while one bird made six trips. A pigeon which 

 was captured by the Germans and sent by Prince Fred- 

 erick Charles to his mother, upon escaping from her lott 

 after four years' confinement, returned to its Parisian home. 

 Is it to be wondered at that the governments of France 

 and Germany at the present time breed and keep in training 

 great flocks of homing pigeons as a military measure? 



Pigeon racing is now practised to some extent in this 

 country. The English are moderately fond of it, but the 

 headquarters for this sport is Belgium. Pigeon-flying 

 is there the national sport. The King favors it and the 

 government subsidizes it. There are said to be more of 

 these pigeons in Belgium than there are inhabitants, or over 

 5,000,000. Every town, every village, has its society, and 

 flights of three, four, and five hundred miles are common. 

 Upon a single day there were sent 200,000 pigeons from 

 Belgium into France, all to be liberated in races or for 

 training. Sometimes the wonderful sight is afforded of 

 2000 or 3000 pigeons being liberated together. They are 

 shipped in willow panniers or baskets, each containing 

 about thirty. On Saturday, May 11, 1878, two special trains 

 of seventy-three cars left Belgium for different stations in 

 France, carrying 1740 hampers containing about 70,000 

 pigeons to be liberated the following day, Sunday. And, 

 upon Sunday, May 19, 125,000 pigeons were loosed, 

 24,000 in one French city alone. 



The races are generally flown under the direction of a 



