HOMING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2896, 15 September 1909, Page 36

HOMING NOTES.

Br Mausia Mealt,

The Dunedm Homing Pigeon Club flew off the first race of the series last Satuiday from Oamaru — an air-hne distance of 59 miles. The pigeon 3 were liberated at intervals of five minutes. Seventeen lofts wore represented. The race resulted as follows- — A. E. Hunt's Apres Mere (time, lhr 9}niui ; v-elocity 1539 yds 2ft lin) . 1 E. Umber^'s Monarch (time, lhr Bnun; velocity 1492 yds ift llin) . 2 W. J Tattersfield'e Master Grcoter (time, lhr Simm; velocity 1474 yds Oft llin) 3 T Veitch's Strathavon II (time, lhr lolimn veW]t.y 1411 yds Oft 4in) i P C ark's Bonami Prmoe (lime, lhr I'm ii \ 'l t 1 lo'jch 2ft o.n) . . " CLv- rti.. .usi i: !->; yioi.H Li- u_ui— S.£ie~ )1 i

Next Saturday's race will be flown, from Timaru. In some former notes on the subject of training I laid down as one of the necessary factors to success the dictum that it was essential to encourage in th* minds of one's birds a passionate attachment to their homes, and the necessary corollary to that — an. intense desire to regain that home ait the earliest possible moment when taken away from it, and I would now add that the trainer must endcavoui to develon in. his birds that courage, and will power which will prompt them to overcome all obstacles to the accomplishment of that desire. 'The majority of young fanciers, and many old ones for the ra»fcter of fhat, are apt to rlin away with bhe ad«a that training simply consists in imparting to their birds a knowledge- of the route by which they must travel to regain tihedr homes from the various points of liberation. This may, along with some physical {raining, ensure a moderate percentage of returns from the race stages, but something over end beyond that is required to win races. To do this birds must not only return, but they must return quickly — quicker, that is, thau their fellow competitors, and this involves another point of vast importance ; it neoessita'tes the possession by the bird of that courage and power of initiative which will admit of its leaving the floe& and striking out ahead, alone and unassisted. The importance of this lies in the fact that pigeons are naturally gregarious, and like to fly in company, and therefore it is necessary to success in racing that you overcome thds natural longing on the part of the bird. You must substitute such conditions andattractions as shall overcome this natural inclination. That there is more in this than, th© average fancier thinks of I have been convinced since the first day I ever saw pigeons arrive from a race. The first -bird to xeaoh home on that occasion was evidently tired, amd had obviously exerted itself to the utmost of its power, and it waa followed! in a few minutes by a eecond, which arrived looking, as the »ayi»g ■goes, "as if it had not flown c yard." It was olear to any observant persor that the second bird could have beaten the first had it tried to do so. but the fact remained that the stronger bird, -physically, or the day .played eecond fiddle to its weaker but more determined opponent. I have seen many races -since then, and in most of them the same point has been clearly exemplified, though not meoeasarily in the case of the first and second arrivals. OBviouely, then, if we want to win races i we must endeavour to do something more thaa> teach our birds the route and train their muscles.

(Tf> be continued.)