1654 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



promptly crossed with the native Smerle. The 

 Cumulet, a white-plumaged hird of tumbler de- 

 rivation, but noted for high-flying, was also 

 introduced. 



From this seeming chaos, after many vicissi- 

 tudes, the racing Homer, unequalled in speed, 

 endurance and intelligence, finally was evolved. 

 These three characters have remained the 

 great objectives of the breeder, and color, 

 markings and other points commonly sought 

 among domestic pigeons have been ignored. 

 Many derivatives, bred for exhibition points 

 only, have risen to popularity, but the racer, 

 not always uniform in type and color, though 

 never failing in courage and love of home, still 

 remains the pigeon of pigeons. 



Having proved its value as a flier in Belgium, 

 the newly evolved breed was quickly imported 

 into England, and later was brought to America. 

 The sport of pigeon racing soon became popu- 

 larized, and its devotees now number thousands. 

 In America hundreds of races are flown yearly, 

 under the auspices of local clubs and the larger 

 national organizations with which they are affili- 

 ated. With the over-running of Belgium by the 

 German hordes of pickers and stealers, the 

 great majority of the famous studs of racing 

 pigeons were seized and sent to Germany. 

 However, the blood of these great strains is 

 widely spread and strongly cherished in Eng- 

 land and in America, so that they will not be- 

 come lost to civilization. 



Through a confusion of names, which has be- 

 come widespread, the homing pigeon is almost 

 invariably referred to in news reports as the 

 "carrier." He is a carrier so far as service per- 

 formed is concerned but. unfortunately, that 

 name was long ago preempted by an entirely 

 different bird, closely related to the Dragoon 

 and Horseman, and known as the English 

 Carrier. This pigeon, while perhaps originally 

 used for flying, now is useless for that purpose 

 and is kept for exhibitoin only. It is a large 

 bird, with extremely long neck and legs, and 

 carries a huge mass of flesh about the eyes and 

 on the beak. This misuse of names has caused 

 much of the credit due the true homer to be 

 given a pigeon which would not home from a 

 distance of a mile. 



Many misunderstandings have arisen as to 

 the homing abilities of the war pigeon. Many 

 persons appear to believe that it is merely nec- 

 essary to whisper a few directions in the bird's 

 ear, toss it into the air and watch it strike out 

 for the destination indicated. Other fancies, 

 still wider of the truth, are numerous. There 



is nothing supernatural about the homer. It 

 simply has a strongly developed love of home, a 

 wonderful sense of direction and the strength 

 and courage to return to its loft when released 

 at a distance. 



Sense of direction is strongly developed in 

 most birds. We have only to consider the mar- 

 vellous migration flights of many species to 

 realize that this is true. In domestic pigeons 

 this sense, doubtless native to the wild Rock 

 Dove from which they are descended, has de- 

 generated through countless generations of life 

 in captivity. Only in the homer has it been 

 retained and magnified by long continued breed- 

 ing and selection for this point alone. 



Many theories have been advanced to account 

 for the ability of the homer to find its way. 

 Some explain that the bird is gifted with re- 

 markable vision and is able to distinguish the 

 immediate surroundings of its home from great 

 distances. Others hint vaguely of electrical 

 currents and subtle influences of the air. But 

 the most reasonable explanation is the operation 

 of the mysterious sense direction, common to 

 .ill birds, developed and strengthened by the in- 

 tensive training to which the young homer is 

 subjected. 



As soon as the young bird leaves the nest, it 

 is placed in a position from which it can view 

 the surroundings of the loft without having its 

 full liberty. Pigeons of this age, getting their 

 freedom without this gradual introduction, will 

 often burst into flight and never return. After 

 the young bird has become accustomed to the 

 out-of-doors, it is allowed to walk out. Under 

 favorable conditions, it quickly becomes settled, 

 but the slightest fright at this stage may cause 

 it to dash off in a state of excitement. When 

 the baby fat begins to be replaced by the firm 

 muscles of adolescence, the bird will begin to 

 take daily flights, often of long duration, in 

 company with its fellows. It thus becomes 

 familiar with the country for several miles 

 about. 



Now serious training is begun. A particular 

 direction is selected, usually chosen with regard 

 to prevailing winds and other conditions, and 

 the birds are worked toward that point of the 

 compass by a series of tosses at gradually in- 

 creasing distances. The first flight usually is 

 half a mile, the second a mile, and so on until 

 ten have been accomplished. The steps are 

 then lengthened so that after the fifty-mile 

 mark has been passed, jumps of from fifteen 

 to twenty miles are made. When one hundred 



