MESSENGER PIGEONS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 747, 23 January 1888, Page 3

MESSENGER PIGEONS.

(Ohrlatcbohurch "Telegraph")

For aome mi nths a stuff of messenger pigeonß haa beon kept In daily o'>mmunica tim with tbe " Telegraph." Wo uaod to head the articles they brought m "By Pigeon Expreaa, " but they came so thick •nd fast that instead of treating them Hoy longer aa special meseeng r<j we now treat them aa a pa<*t of the atuff The ap irtiog aorlbe leaves a line ovornight with thi ' Pigeon Boas," as tha mani»ue.' of the c -it ii familiarly termed, hat he wama birds m the morning for n r.ioe meeting. Tae (d^eons are fed caught, and examined to see that they are m good health acd feather, and the birds are placed m a neat portable box f >r easy transport, the boxes being oon13!rooted co as to give the aerial messengers plenty of accommodation and a'r. The boating correspondent applies for a brace of birds, aud theae are got ready. The ' " War Correspondent," bb we dub the grey-haired gentleman with gold-rlmmed speotaoles who reports the Volunteer movements, gets his birds. Onr Shipping reporter has a oaae sent out, and ao has onr Northern Correspondent, who Ib iontinnally sending peremptory notes " Sand pigeons fin.t trjin " over a signature that wooid paaa for the sign manual of a Roman BI : peror or a Maori chicf — «»ya one of those who witnessed and ar rotated the Treaty of Walta»gi To m:s

he gentleman's pige-'ua is worae thai' opening a hornet.) neat, and he certainly i-es make good use of them. He takes more Interest m th» birds than the rest. *nd has rednoed the pigeon messenger buainess to a system m all respects. He treats the birds well. None of them ever meet with accident b. Hia messages sometimes, like this one will do, fill a column of the paper,- and the whole of the o^py neceaaary for thia ia pnt Into one paokage on one bird, aeourely faatened and pnt oo the pigeon m suoh a manner that It neither impedes Its fl'ght or does it any Injary whatever. He goes further, and puts a cover of guttapercha tissue over the sheets of " oopy " which are sent by the pigeon to the printer. He manages to reduce the weight of the paper, cover, and string on the measage which fills a oolnmn and a half to under half an ounoe. Many a time haa the writer -iovibd his expedition m writing on the thinnest of paper, tin neatnees of the meaaage, and the way In which the Northern correspondent gets hia meaaenger ready for the flight. The sporting aoMbe goes up to Kovrai Paaa, where there ia no Telegraph Office ; the boating man hiea away to Like Porayth,,, where there ia likewise no telegraphic communication with Ohrlstohuroh ; the War Ourrespon* dent attaohed to the troops on the North Ueaoh at Kaiapoi. all wi h their pigeon boxes, are independent of the telegraph operatora. The Port Shipping Oorreadent goes out In the harbor to vesaels, and is also accompanied by his portable telegraph. Bit. ween 2 and 3pm the blrda hurry home. A youth is on the watch, who tenderly traps them, removes the messages and hands them In, taking oare that the plgeous are duly fed, watered, and allowed their fraedom. The newa of the paasage of tbe laat Engl a i ahip, the report of the racea as they go on, a magts* terlal report from Kaiapoi or Rangiora, or a ram fair ai Oolverdon come. i«» regular order. A nomination report of the last Kilapol eleotion, held at noon, finished at 12 45, tr.inafarrod to pigeon message by 1 30, and set up m tho •» Telegraph"" at 3 30 p.m , is ono of the feats. Another good record waa made by one of onr men at a rlrlj mate'), where he sent m a leogthy account cf the match, and a beautifully e'ean, clear record of the Bame, Including 840 ahota. Do the compositors — or onmpa, as we oall them m the office, for »hort— manage to set up pigeon oopy, Yea, lf it is " decently written," It Is aa good as the beat manuscript. Pigeon meaaage oopy ia aald to be better '' copy " to eet than parsons 1 sermon copy, or a letter from tne late Premier of New Zealand.

The kind of blrda we uee : well, there are ail kinds, blur, with chequered and red : to the writer the varloua kinda, whether dragoons, carriers, An twerps, and so forth, are all tbe aame, bnt to the " pigeon boss," he haa a diatinotlve name for eaob, and follows the strains of breeding as carefully as the Hon W. Robinson would the best of hia radeboraes. Aa to time our birds with constant practice never waate muoh time. Their records as to time aro some of the aeorets of the establishment, and In tbe laat twelve months the casualties have been very trivial The writer hopes he has met the editor's demand, and will have no objection to answer any scrutiny on the part of tbe publio who may wish to do the inspecting of thia message aa to Its bona fide obaraoter, and sff >rdmg somo information to come carrier pigeon fancier perhapa as to what kiud of paper to use m order to obtain lightness, A'i to faslenlug on the messages, he prefers to tie them on the thLjh ; the pigeon then draws ha meaaage up, and la not Impeded iv Its flight.