HOMING.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 October 1922, Page 2

HOMING.

THE EGMONT CLUB. Another successful race was flown from Palmerston North by the birds owned by members of the Egmont Homing Club on Saturday last. The flying conditions were not conducive to fast, times, the weather being very stormy at the liberation point. The birds all arrived home together, Mr. Bellringer’s bird having about one minute’s decision over the remaining birds. This member’s birds are flying excellently this season, and this makes his sixth win, which speaks well foi*t.he training and fast trapping of the birds. The detailed results are:—Mr. J. Bellringer’s Nervous, 4hrs. Bmin.. velocity 880 yards per minute; Mr. C. Gilbert’s. Mr. A. Raby’s, Mr. R. Scrivener’s, Mr. Hemingway's birds, 4hrs. 9min., velocity 877 yards per minute, dead heat. Considerable controversy exists as to flying the birds on the time limit principle, but the Egmont Club has proved by past experience that the first bird home is the only reasonable wav to decide pigeon racing, even though they are one of the very few pigeon clubs that fly under these conditions. Pigeon enthusiasts cannot deny that weather conditions considerably alter the flight of pigeons, and therefore they will not always arrive home in the same direction, and on the face of this it appears ridiculous to allow any time limit. For example, we will take the birds arriving home via the upper end of Westown. Members whose lofts are situated in the west end of the town would certainly have the advantage over the east end of trapping their birds first. In flying pigeons on the time limit the east end of the town lofts give the west end lofts an allowance of anything up to a minute, although the birds arrive in the west first, which is difficult to fathom.