HOMING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2779, 19 June 1907, Page 56

HOMING NOTES.

By Matjbta Mealt.

"B. O. G.," Oamaru, writes:— " Would you be so kind as to answer through your valuable column the folio »ving question: I have a. pigeon that I am intending to show. It arrived home late one evening and did not trap, and being afraid of cats I made a grab at it, and accidentally pulled half its tail out. What ck> you recommend as the best method of assisting the new flights to quicker growth?"' A little weak vinegar will assist th« growth of the feathers, but a, forced growth is not advisable. Let Nature take its ccurse ; the feathers will very soon grow. The Duuedm Homing Pigeon Club flew o£f a race last Saturday from Tinmru to Bnnedin, an air-hne distance of 112 miles, the competition bsmg confined to members who had not previously won a race, the winner receiving a pair of birds, kindly presented by Mr W. IT. Hagger, of Cbristchurch. I'hirty-seven pigeons competed. The weather was fine and clear. The race resulted as under — Mr W. Niven's Rose Morn (time, 2hrs 40£min ; velocity, 1208 yds lft Sin) . . I Mr C. Abernethy's Posiedon (time, 2hrs 41min; velocity 1196 yds 2ft) 2 Mr A. C. Fleming's Red Morn (time, Ohrs 44min; velocity, 1193 yds lft) .. .. 3 Mr H M'Leod's Blue Ro6k II (time, 2brs 41Jmin ; velocity, 1187 yds Oft 9in) ... 4 Graham Bros.' Moonlight ftime, 2hrs 43min; velocity, 1186 yds 3ft 7in) .. 5 Mr J. Cox (time, 2hrs 42min ; velocity, 1185 yds) 0 Mi X- Neilson (time, 2hrs 47min; velocity, 1175 yds) - 0 H. Johnston (time, 2hrs 48min; velocity, 1170 yds) 0 Mr Niven bred Rose Morn from San Fran (San Jose ex Wakeful) and a Blue Blade ex Lady Gerard hen. The wi iner is a nice, compact little hen, resembling her grand-dam Grannio in colour and type. Poseidon wae bred by his owner, sire Blunderbuss, dam Jenny, sieter of-Fire-works, a pure .Maodonald. Poseidon is a. consistent bird. He was second jom Gore, and is always well up in his races. Red Morn wae bred by Andy Fleming, sire Kildare, bred by Mr H. Short. Kildare's sire was imported from Knight (Melbourn-e). dam Bavbelle, Fireworks 's dam. The dam of Red Morn was bred from a pair of Tattersfields' birds mported from Duenncn (Belgium). Blue Rock 11, sire Blue Rock, by Blucher (Lord Logan ex Lady Didcot), dam Jenny Goldsmith'e Bisterf^ Dr Macdonald's strain i« very prominent in the second, third, and fourth birds. Mr D. Fatcrson, the president of the Dunedin Homing Club', is a. staunch supporter of the doctor's strain, and has a. number of them in his loft. As his loft is admirably situated for breeding strong, [ healthy squeakers, this well-known, strain will have every opportunity of maintaining its prestige in the forthcoming races. Mr H. Short's veteran hen Atlanta turned up one day last week at her old loft after an absence of two years. Pigeons, like human beings, don't easily forget a good home. Mr H. W. Hilton, a vice-president of the Dunedin Club and president of the Maniototo Fanciers' Club, has offered his annual trophy for a prize for a race from Naseby. I understand about 40 pigeons will oompete. Mr B. J. Finnegan has been asked to judge the pigeons at the Naseby show. While on the show question, it is a good idea to have an ordinary wire show pen (which can be cheaply obtained from any tinsmith) for fanciers who intend going in, for showing. Failing one of these, an ordinary box about 15in square should be obtained, the front and back taken out and replaced with thin wood strips, aboufc an. inch or so apart. This should be placed on a bench, so that it stands about level with one's chin, and in suet a position that one can stand either in front or behind the pen. Place a little fine sand on the floor not chaff or sawdust, as this is apt to get into the birds' eyes if they are at coll wild. Place the bird in the pen twice a day until you have got him thoroughly accustomed to it. The first lime you pea him let him be very hungry, give him a few minutes to realise that escape is impossible, and then give him a little tit-bit in the shape of canary seed, talking quiet'y and soothingly to him the while. An hour a realisation that he is fast, but has nothing to fear, and you will then have an idea as to what faults you have to try and correct in his carriage. • Touch him gently with a thin rod, and try to guide him to st,ind facing you. When ho has attained the desired position put a little canary seedwell to the front of the pen, and leave him for a time. Next lesson : Note whether he carries his tail too high or too low-t if too low, pass your stick gently under it; if toj high, over it, stroking gently down the back. After some half dozen lessons you will find that immediately on being pul m the pen he naturally falls into the desired pose. T can fancy I hear someone saying, "What rot ! training a flying homer to pos Q in the show pen !" But let us for a moment reflect on the everyday judge's method of procedure when judging. Afier going carefully through the claes, he finally, selects 6ome half dozen as being about equal in feather and condition. A final' study of the selected ones as they stand in thoir pens usually decides their placings; j,nd what earthly chance has the bird thati tries to climb out of the pen or deliberately turns its tail to the judge with the confdenl, alert-looking bird trained to show its aood points and 1 keep its weak ones in the background ! Here it is that the old hand scores over the novice. The judge, with a lot more classes to judge in a given* time, cannot afford to wait until the unruly ono settles down, and «o although where it docs so eventually it may be the bestlooking one in the lot, its chance has gone, b'ghly commended being- its usual portion. Result: A disappointed exhibitor and a criticifem in the weekly paper. Poor judge, poor exhibitor, poor pigeon } Not one o£ you have had a fair chance to shine. Takq my advice, and leave nothing to luck. Da your best by your bird, and await the issue with confidence, determined to succeed, if not this ehovf, then the. njxt one.

117Bvds)

Patience and perseverance can- do the trick. Remember that the motto of the successful fancier and racer of homing pigeons is "Nil desperaadum."