488 THE LAWS OF ORIENTATION AMONG ANIMALS. 



thirty late returns were noted at Cbarleroi and at Mons on the same 

 day. These goings and comings are all naturally explained by the law 

 of retracement. Our winged travelers, although they formed a single 

 band at their departure from Orleans, doubtless soon broke up into sev- 

 eral groups; we have already observed that it was necessary for them 

 to battle against rough weather. Now the carrier pigeons are not all 

 in this respect equally provided. The little pigeon of Liege flies with 

 extraordinary swiftness in ordinary weather. The full-plumed pigeons 

 of Antwerp, endowed with considerable muscular strength, while they 

 cannot vie with the Liege pigeons in ordinary weather, can, however, 

 battle with a strong wind. It is then quite natural that our pigeons of 

 different powers starting out together should divide up along the route 

 according to their comparative strength. Ax>igeonfrom Mons, finding 

 himself in the midst of a band of birds seeking Charleroi, follows them 

 to their destination; then, having seen them scatter to their different 

 homes he remains alone, lost on the roofs of a strange city. Mons is 

 not far distant from Charleroi and the lost one need only rise into the 

 air to see his own home. But he does not do so, for he has in previous 

 journeys become accustomed to using only the sense of direction to find 

 his way home from a distance; it never occurs to him to use his sense 

 of sight. Eetracing the road taken to reach Charleroi, he flies to the 

 point in Orleans where he was set at liberty in tbe morning. Tired by 

 the long journey he has made he rests for one night. The next morn- 

 ing he gets his bearings, finally finds the reverse of the journey taken 

 two days before by the railroad and returns to Mons. Tbe thirty-two 

 pigeons who returned to Orleans on the evening of their release and the 

 next day disappeared had very probably gone through an experience 

 similar to this. 



The example we have just cited is certainly very interesting. We 

 have established our position with facts, and, when facts were lacking, 

 with simple conjectures in order to explain the goings and comings of 

 the pigeons. We have therefore in our conclusion, if not certitude, at 

 least great probability. But we will now give a few cases more con- 

 clusive than the first. 



A pigeon belonging to a fancier in Grand-Couronne fell into the gar- 

 den of General M , at fivreux. On the same day we had to go to 



Kouen. We took the lost pigeon with us and set him free in the station at 

 Grand-Couronne, near his own cote. The pigeon took his bearings and 



flew off to fivreux, to the house of General M . Again captured he 



was this time sent back to his owner by post. When released at his 

 cote he no longer tried to return to Evreux. The pigeon, stopping to 



rest a minute and eat near the house of General M , did not for an 



instant think of this unknown house as a new home. It meant for him. 

 only a point in the journey previously made and to be therefore the 

 point of departure for his further flight. After some hours of rest he 



