ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



HOW THE WAR PIGEON CARRIES MESSAGES 

 B is of the type used in active service, and was secured thr 

 of the Signal Corps. Eastern Department, U. S. A. 



miles have been flown, the birds are sent to 

 150, 200, 300 and f00 without intermediate 

 stations. 



Four hundred miles is the greatest distance 

 birds of the year usually are asked to accom- 

 plish, but exceptional youngsters occasionally 

 have done 600. Five hundred miles is the most 

 popular long distance race for old birds, but 

 contests up to 1.000 miles arc flown yearly. 

 Eight hundred miles were accomplished in one 

 dav by a famous bird, but distances over 500 

 miles usually require more than a single day. 



Tlie speed at which homing pigeons Hy is one 

 of the first questions that conies to the mind of 

 tlie inquiring layman. This varies greatly with 

 the distance, the shorter distances naturally be- 

 ing flown in much faster time. Flights of 100 



miles, with a favoring wind, often are made at 

 the rate of a mile a minute, or even better. 

 Recent tests under the supervision of the Signal 

 Corps showed that field messages sent by means 

 of homing pigeons were delivered in much 

 shorter time than by automobile or motorcycle. 



The longest official distance flown by a hom- 

 ing pigeon was a flight from Denver, Colorado, 

 to Springfield, Mass., 1,689 miles. A little 

 more than twenty-three days were required for 

 this feat, the bird flying only by day. gleaning 

 its food from fields and poultry yards as it 

 came. 



The fastest time for 1 ,000 miles is one day 

 and eleven hours, a truly remarkable perform- 

 ance. This bird, rejoicing in the name of 

 "Bullet." still lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It 



