WAS AGAINST PIGEONS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19892, 10 March 1928, Page 2 (Supplement)

WAS AGAINST PIGEONS.

I \.• ; ' y OPERATIONS AT ST. PAUL'S.

CAPTORS AND T&OTICS. BIRDS LURED INTO CAGEA decisive victory has been gained over a number of the pigeon troops which had become a nuisanco at St. Paul's, London. The corporation enlisted the services of Commander Dalton—who, in peace times, is rat-catcher-in-chief to the city—and his forces against the feathered legions. A preliminary skirmish occurred on Christmas Eve, when the Dalton troops laid a trap for their adversaries. This, however, says the Morning Post, was quite unsuccessful. It seemed that the pigeon forces had received news of the ambush, and resolutely avoided the trap, baited with succulent crumbs and corn, by which the Daltonites strove to ensnare them.

On the morning of Boxing Day, how-* ever the morale of the pigeon troops seemto have weakened Perhaps they had grown careless by reason of the ample corn supplies with which sympathisers provided them during the season of good

•will. Mr. Dalton and his troops erected a cage at a distance from the pigeons' promenade. In front of it his trappers formed a screen', laden with golden corn. The snow was falling and the pigeons, already glutted with their Christmas dinner, found their voracity greater than their caution.

They came on in mass formation, leaping upon the grain. They did not notice that the screen, began to retreat, like the moving forest in " Macbeth," until they were at the mouth of the cave. On came the unsuspecting pigeons, careless of their whereabouts—until they found themselves in the cage. The portcullis was lowered, and tho captives* hardly realising that their snowy, liberty was gone, were carried away.

" I made ,up my mind to have these birds," said Commander Dalton, flushed with victory, at the end of the encounter. " They are foes worth vanquishing, for they are wily birds." The captives numbered about 200.

Still more of the pigeons fell a prey to the wiles of Mr. Dalton and hi 3 assistants on the following day. He rounded up some hundreds without much difficulty, but these were all found to be birds in the pink of condition, which were specially adept at hustling their weaker brethren out of the way, and obtaining the seductive corn for themselves. This was not the desire of the City Corporation, however, who were enxious that the pigeons which still flutter around tho dome of St. Paul's should be a credit to the race.

Mr. Dalton, therefore, employed new tactics. He examined the pigeons at close range, and discovered one with a

deformed leg, and another with a diseased eye. He set himself to lure them away from their comrades, by throwing grain on the ground. He then seized the first invalid and handed him to an assistant, who placed the bird in a bag. Within a few minutes he had filled two bags with the halt and lame.

" We think," said Mr. Dalton, " that it would be more humane to try to kill off the unhealthy birds first. One of the birds which we captured seems to have been injured by a bus. We found the use of the cage was only effective when there was no ono about. Nets will probably be used to catch the pigeons in most places; but we shall go on experimenting until we find some satisfactory method of catching pigeons in large numbers."

Mr. Dalton admitted that there had been an outcry against the catching of the pigeons, but said that the humanitarian might rest assured that they would be painlessly destroyed. "To ensure that no undue suffering will be caused," he added, "we have rejected an offer from a Birmingham gunmaster who wished to buy them for trap shooting for an American client." The birds will be sold to poultry dealers, who 'will find a ready market for them among Lascars aboard ships. Any found unfit for human consumption will be burned in the City Corporation incinerators.