JUBILEE OF PIGEON RACING IN N.Z.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18407, 13 June 1925, Page 6

JUBILEE OF PIGEON RACING IN N.Z.

The homing instinct in pigeons has been' known and made use of since the dawn of history. But we havo no. ancient records of the of . pigeon racing. The story of , the ' Dove . and 'the Ark suggests that the writer knew of the homing faculty. Homer' 900 years B.C. - sings of "silver doves renowned,' ' and doubtless it was because of their - feats on the wing.The esteemed lyric poet Anacrcon, who wrote, on wine and women,, used doves, m_ a correspondence he . had with a lady called Bathillus and Taurasthenes gaye notice of his victory at the Olympian Games to his father, who lived in the isle of ißgina, while Pliny : tells; of pigeons being used at the siege' of Modcria; also that of his day, sit on the housetops and discussed the. pedigrees of their birds. . But.'it is,not till a few years over a century ago that we find pigeon racing mentioned. Here in New Zealand we had : tho' dif fercnt varieties used for homirig as far back as the/sixties; but it was not until the Christchurch Poultry Show of 1875 that ,we read of a pigeon raceV This race, we read, was a .new feature, and arranged by the newly-formed flying club. This, club was the wellknown Canterbury ■ Flying Club, which also arranged the race held in connexion with the show now on. The i racp held in • 1875 was to be from i Kalcaia, but, owing to the time being winter, it was flown from. Eollestoninstead. The results • arc. interesting, first, because the birds were timed in at . the ' Oddfellows' Hall, Lichfield street, .-where the show was held. That' was the old way of timing in, and : though it is not stated, it is probable, relays of fast runners were used, as' was the habit 'in England for years..' after. Fcflir fanciers competed, the winning birds' coming in thus:— Mr W. G. Walker's Antwerp cocl: Fleetwingj .3h sni. Mr G. A. Macquarrie's Silver Beard hen Fenella, 3h 18m. Mr A. ■ East's Antwerp cock Pathfinder, 3h 32ni. Mr J. J. Parker's Sir Julius and Mr A. East's black Baldliead also started. Even, allowing for getting the birds to the hall, the. time was slow compared with 500, miles in under 11 hours and 820 under 30 hours, our present day records. In the 'seventies it was not uncommon to liy Tumblers, "Dragoons, etc., and Antwerp, was the old name for our Homers. Mr Walker-was for many years secretary of the Christchurch Poultry Club and first seeretary to t'he Plying Club., Mr Macquarrie was a bank manager and a captain of the Christchurch- Football Club. His ! partner in pigeons was Mr A. T. Smith, ; who still shows under Macquarrie and Smith, and who is now celebrating his iubilee in the fancy. Mr Parker kept a labour bureau here for many years, and his bird was doubtless "called after himself. Of the quartette who took part in the first race, three have learned the grand secret, but I was informed at the show that Mr East is still with us.