HOMING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2817, 11 March 1908, Page 58

HOMING NOTES.

-^ Br Mausta Me*lt.

Homers owned by the Winton fanciers Messrs Fred Moore and E. Raines acted as a capital means of conveying the results of the Lumsden races to Winton. The birds were liberated with messages after every second race, and by this means those interested in Winton were kept well posted as the events proceeded. The results of the Orepuki races, held a week later, were also received by pigeon post, the birds recording fast times. As several horses from Winton were competing the arrival of each pigeon with results excited a good deal of The Dunedin Homing Club's schedule of old-bird raoes was completed with a Napier race. Each year a trophy is awarded fof the best aggregate in the races flown on the schedule, five points being allowed to owner of the winning- bird, four points for second place, three points for third place, two points fox fourth place,' and one point for fifth place. In the event of a tie the points are divided between the owners who were equal. Up to the present Mr Finnegan, for - the fourth year in succession, is leading, Mr J. Knowlee a good second. The scores are: —

Messrs Reeves, UmboFS, Keen, Abernethy, and Paterson all obtained 1 a few points. Some crack novices are coming on, and they will be dangerous when they understand thoroughly how to prepare and condition a bird ' for a race, which can only be learned by experience and sound management and not by continually changing methods. A system should be adopted and stuok to, and the birds will soon learn what is required of them.- But pigeon-racing- is such an uncertain game that we sometimes wake up and find all our. hopes blighted, notwithstanding our boasted knowledge, and when we fancy our chance on some occasion more than another. Why do these set-backs take place? Why is it that the unexpected happens? My own' opinion is that the long course over which the birds have to fly accounts for a great deal. In the ca4e of a large flight of birds, liberated at the same moment, they do not all take the same line. They fly in batches, but it is not long after leaving the race poiat that the breaking up into' batches takes place. With what delight would a keen fancier love to follow the birds h.ome from Wellington to the home lofts! But this will be impossible until 'the day when a swift flying machine, that can be handled and easily steered, is produced: That is out of the question, and what actually takes place must be left to conjecture. We get examples every day proving- that a real -good pigeon is hard to spoil and hard to beat. My opinion is in. favour of 100 miles ac a youngster, 200 miles as a vearlinpr, and the third season to the end. Still, mere is no disguising- the fact that several yearlings belonging to Duneain fanciers flew from Cape Campbell (345 > miles) and Kaitoke (413 miles) this year, and flew it well — in fact, the winner of the Kaitoke races was a yearling Grizzle hen of Mr Finnegan's. All this proves the I uncertainty of the game. Is it not just I this uncertainty that adds the charm to it? j Take the race day. We get a telegram of . a toss and the direction of the wind. We ' esimate a certain time, but are sometimes hours out. The keen fancier starts look- | ing out when he knows it is practically impossible for the birds to get home for hours. Still, it soothes his restless nature. From the moment his birds left for the race until they are at home again his nerves are never at rest. Only fanoiers can., appreciate the feeling to .which I refer, and I am proud to think there a^e to-day in this country hundreds of fwnpiexs who indulge in the sport for the sport alone. Unless a fancier really delights in his birds for the sake of the birds themselves I doubt if he will ever become successful. Just for a time we may see hjs name i flash, by a lucky fluke, like & meteor, but there will be no .permanency about it. It is during 1 the next few months that $he true fancier will have his trials and t».o Ü bles, when greater care than ever must

be exercised ; when the eye wants to be ever watchful to ccc that the moult is proceeding with rogulaiity, and that the birds are developing into better flying machines than they were before. A bird that collapses in its moult is usually useless as a racer next season until it hae completely moulted again. This is my experience, and why I always impress upon fanciers the importance of the moult. The North Otago Pigeon-flying- Club flew off its last old-bird race of the season from Ethelton, a distance of 205 miles' airline. The birds were liberated at 9 a.m., and were home sooner than expected, having a fairly strong back wind. Mr C Eooles's Starshoot traversed the distance in 3hr 27min (whioh is the fastest time yet recorded by the olub), beating his other record (from Christohurch) by 120 yds per minute. The results were as follows: — Mr C. Ecolob's Starshoot, 1738 yds par mm 1 Mr W. Gray's Starlight, 1729 yds .. .. % Mr J. Kobertson's Hunter, 1673 yds .. .. 3 Mr F. Qouper'a Blu« Gits, 1530 yds . . . . 4 Mr B. Valpy's M. Grooter, 1527 yds .. .. 5 The other members 'lid not time in. Mr O. Eooles's Starshoot was bred by Mr T. H. Wilce, Waimate. Mr W. Gray's Starlight was bred by Mr C. Eccles'e Starshoot. Mr J. Robertson's Hunter was bred by Mr Hunt, Christchurch. Mr F. Couper's Blue Gite and Mr B. Valpy's M. Grooter were bred by Mr B. J. Finnegan, Dunedin. The olub desires to thank the stationmaeter for liberating the birds and Mr J. W. Chilcot ac timekeeper. 820 MILES AIRLINE IN 84 DAYS. (By the Invercargill Pigeon Society.! For the closing race of this "old bird" season the members of the Invercargill Homing Society decided to send their birds to Hicks Bay, situated 170 miles north of Napier, or a distance of 820 miles airline from Invercargill. This flight, if successful, ■Would place tire InvercargiU Olub far- in advance of any other sooiety in Australasia. More for the Honour that would be brought to the local club and with not much hope of success five members entered ten homers to compete in this great fly. Some difficulty was experienced in arranging to send the birds to the place of liberation, and the proposed raoe was about to be abandoned, when a suggestion came from Mr D. S. Laing, of Napier, which enabled the olub to proceed with the race. After some little delay the birds were placed under tbe care of the cook of the U.SIS. Co.'s Wanaka, at Bluff, who undertook to look after them. As it turned out, the delay whioh had taken place caused the- birds to lose the favourable weather which had been prevailing throughout both islands, and the flight home was made under adverse circumstances. After being quite 10 days on board the steamer, which had to calL in at wayside porte, the birds were liberated on the 20th,February off Runaway • point,* Hicks Bay? at 5 -a.m.j in moderate weather. -All round the neighourbood of Napier, Palmerston North, and Wanganui bush flres were raging, the smoke from which hung over the country in dense clouds as far south as Wellington. Nearly all the letters and telegrams received from various stations throughout the direct airlme course prove that the atmospheric conditions were anything but favourable to the homer?.' The official weather report, for instance, in Wellington read as follows: Thursday, 20th February, 1908— "Calm , dtfll. hazy." Friday, 21st February — "Thick smoke, fresh north-west wind." On the second day of liberation there was also continual rain at Gisborne and Napier. Thus, taking everything into consideration, it was a most, unfortunate time for the race, and it seemed almost hopeless to expect that the birds would ccc home again. On Friday, the 28th of February, at 12.20 p.m., a pigeon owned by Mr Alan Duhlop managed to arrive home 3^ days after the liberation at Hicks Bay. Mr Dunlop's birds have always proved themselves to possess great staying powers. •Last season his Royal Blue II honoured the club with, a record Napier to Invsrcargill, 650 miles, in 26hrs. This record has been beaten this year by another member of the sooiety, Mr J. Friend, whose bird covered the same distance in' 22|hr. On this occasion Mr Alan Dunlop^s Sylvanite completed the course of" 820 miles in 84 days, which is undoubtedly the longest distance yet flown in Australasia. Mr Dunlop has given the. Invercargill Hojning Society a record which will not be easily broken by any club in New Zealand, and he certainly deserves all the congratulations'he has received. " • In order to give the general reader m New Zealand some idea of the distance flown, it might bo mentioned that a straight line from Hicks Bay to InvercargiU is some" 30 miles further than a similar one from Auckland. Although the time taken u> complete the 820 miles may be considered somewhat long, yet, m the face of the atmospheric conditions ruling, it is wonderful *»<>w the bird managed to home at all. Mr Alan Dunlop's Svlvanite is bred by Mr J. FnVnd, off Bal Ustite and" Melinite: is a full brother to Rifleite, who scored first prize in the previous race from Napier. Sylvanitc, whon owned by Mr Friend, was a very «uco*w« ful flier, winning quite a number of races. Several of the members visited Mr Dunlop'* loft on the night of the arrival of the bird, and all were of the opinion that the homer, although light, was in very fair condition. The Invercargill Club desire to thank Mr Laing • and other 3 who assisted in bripging off the race. m With reference to the Napier-Inver-cargill record of 650 miles in 224 hr. the local secretary received a letter and paper from the secretary of the Bendi«ro Club (Australia), which had claimed the longest distance for Australia and New Zealand with a fly of 597 miles in 72hr. The Bendjgo Club, in a very courteous and sportsmanlike letter, release all olaim to the record, and compliment the Invercarerill Club on their eplendid performance. The secretary further wished to be informed of the result of the Hicks Bay race, wh,Jch was then being arranged for. and promyed ,to announce the result to all the fanciers in Australia. The "most points" trophy for the old bird season has been won by Mr J. Friend.

Tv/enty-pne motorists were convicted at Kingeton-on-Thames recently of h*vangr exceeded the speed limit— two in Richmond Park, the others on the Portsmouth road. A total of £120 8s ip fines was imposed: exclusive 'of which over £200 was exacted from motorists in a month at the samo court. 'v

B. J. Finnegan, 413445555 .. .. J. Knowles, 4^315832433 .» .. W. Bsquilant, 12133142 .. .. H. Short, 21534 C. Crore, 4532 A. Fleming, 5324 , .. Graham Brothers, 25412 -.. .. W. Niven. 14413 J. Oox, J445 t .. A. Stone, 165 F. D. Gibson, 258 T. Veitch, 511 .. „ .. „ .;. s Points. .. 36 .. 30J .. 17 .. 15 .. 14 .. 14 14 .. 18 .. 18J *. 11 .. 10 .. 7