TO DIE

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, 10 December 1927, Page 15

TO DIE

ST. PAUL’S PIGEONS. Half of London’s pigeons, which are such a picturesque feature of the broad spaces In front of St. Paul's Cathedral, the Guildhall, the Boys I Exchange, aud other famous buildings are to die before the end of the year. How they will die has not yet been decided. They are to be netted in the early morning when few people are about, in order to avoid interference. but what will happen after the netting no one knows. Mr Cecil Isaacs, agent to the Na tional Homing Union, will probably be master of the hunt.' An official at the Guillhall estimated the number of pigeons living in tho City alone at six thousands, and three thousands of them are under sentence. DAMAGE. “Complaints about the pigeons, afe pouring in from all sides,” he said to a “Sunday Express” representatha recently. • ‘ They peek the mortar out of the buildings and have done much damage to such places as St. Paul’s. “ We are forbidden by the London County Council regulations to shoot the pigeons because there axe luge numbers of homing pigeons among them which will have to be returned to* their owners. Some of the pigeons ■it St. Paul's for instance are woith £lO each. “Londoners are fond of their pig cons, and it would be a pity to exterminate them altogether. They must, however in the interest of public health aud safety, be kept within reasonable numbers.”