German military Pigeons.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 120, 19 September 1885, Page 6

German military Pigeons.

It has lately been decided to increase the already large staff of German military pigeons, of which there are at present in different fortresses about four thousand. These pigeons are taught not to alight on the dovecote, but, on the arrival at their destination, to knock against the closed wire wicket, which motion causes a leaden ball to drop, thereby opening the wicket and setting a mechanism in motion that connects with a bell in the room of the keeper. The officer then detaches the message from the tail feathers of the pigeon, the message being rolled up in the hollow quill of a pigeon's tailfeather, which feathers are carefully collected for despatch purposes, as being most easily hidden among the natural feathers of the carrier-bird. These quills contain, in micro photographic reduotion, about eight pages (octavo) of writing, which, by the hydro-oxygen gas microscope, are reproduced in natural size.

In New Zealand last year the value of ordinary telegrams sent was £72,414, while Press messages- reached a total value of £8,212. When a man goes on what is usually called the " burst" in other places, he is said in Waikato to be " on the riffle 1" The Publio Petitions Committee report that they have no recommendation to make on the subject of Auckland unemployed. > . The Blue Ribbon Temperance Union of Ghristohuroh have decided to guarantee •£100:tow,ards>>the expensestof Mr ! *T. W. Glover, conducting a temperance orueade in. the colony,