PIGEONS 



293 



pigeons, have been of use to men like Darwin, 

 to prove tiieir theories on selection, descent, 

 and the power of experiments. 



VI. Several Species. Messenger Pkieons 

 After the pouters we must mention the ca- 



The employment of pi,L(ef)ns as messengers 

 comes from their faculty of finding their homes 

 and returning to them irom vcr}' great dis- 

 tances. Though many other domestic animals 

 have the same gift, yet tlieir imerring choice 

 of the right direction, the rapidity of their 

 runcular pigeons, the best known of which are flight above countries c(jmi)letely unknown to 



Carrier Pigeons 



Photographed after a journey of 3000 miles 



the carriers, the Bagadas, and the dragons. All 

 these birds have warty excrescences on their 

 beaks and thick red rims around their eyes. 



The carrier pigeons have a noble 

 bearing ; their legs 

 and without feathei 

 the feathers of the bf 

 are smooth and i 

 significant. This 

 species has every 

 appearance of a' 

 wild bird. Its 

 flight is superb, 

 and surpasses that 

 of other breeds; 

 but the thick circl 

 around its eyes .pre 

 it from seeing well, 

 therefore kept more 

 than for use, and is very costly. 

 There are many varieties of these 

 carrier pigeons, namely those of Antwerp and 

 Liege, some turbits, certain tumblers, etc. 



Tl-IK B.-XRB 



them, and the greater safety of their missi\'es 

 (carried through air and not on land) give them 

 a very special value of their own. People call 

 this faculty instinct, but in our day 

 word does not lead 

 n o ugh. Man)' 

 searches produce 

 heories about this 

 [problem which 

 many experiments 

 destroy. Some 

 say these tra\'el- 

 ers are guided b_\' 

 the position of the 

 sun, but pigeons let 

 ose at night find 

 homes as rapidly 

 erringl)' as by day. 

 believe that electric cur- 

 rents have to do with it, but Hachet- 

 Souplet proves that this is impossible. 

 If, however, we consider the keen sight of the 

 pigeon, we may accept, prox'isionally perhaps, 



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