HOMING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2809, 15 January 1908, Page 57

HOMING NOTES.

' 1. -Ex Mausta Mealy. - .' I

Amateur writes as follows:— "I should be very -pleased 'to '"-have -an 'answer through your column a£ to the> bast food to_- give homing "^igep'ns- which are^tb be p-ridoners for the* next' six months^ and any othe-r information which "may belof.'help in keeping 1 these • • birds".» in. . good *Hndition / ' also, ~~ if ' they should; -have plenty*;isf Scorn, jn hoppers' to-rhav.e *'a " .go- v at."" "Li 'reply/ ITS have to say " the best:' food to "give b.is birds-i s partridge peai.' Some prfef er ' tic ' beans,' btfb 'I have" always .peas give " the "best results, for .'birds not^in training, ; ,a's the peas.'aTO more easily digestible. As. a" I. titfbit, "Amaiieur" should give his, birds a handful of .canary seed and linseed, say twicea week. -During th© winter months English fanciers feed mostly , on barley- They^ay birds' are."better for a change of diet.' When, birds "fare in captivity they;should hav^ a oath every day; during the summer months,, but twice a week during th©,winter months will - suffice.* " Amateur ** should, have v a- large aviary* 'fpr tfie birds; Ito ;exercis.e in." If possible he should try to arrange for one, as §i© more,iresh .air. the birds". get the better. . e-will also require to give' them plenty of grjt, as being prisoners., they will ,not be able to> roam the fields and secure a, natural supply -for ' themselves. . ? -Hand ' feeding fs preferable to hopper-feeding,. as the "birds get to know ifheir master-bettep; but^shoTiW. the lormer not "be practicable," "the latter must suffice. '■-'Many 'farioiers .adopt- "this mode, lln the event of usin^r a hopper 'sufficient" food should"' be put 'an to supply them for one day only. *"..'. - *~ - * The '"Wellington- Homing Pigeon Society established a record flight by the'performance of Mr "W. Bailey's bird -in flying 500 ' miles- itf-lOhr "30mm. An account df the race* appears, below. -^Tlie InvercargiD Hom--. ing -Club'' also put up a good performance ' in "fiying -from " Wellington", 500 miles, in 15hr"" 25min.- leather on both occasions t waß-veryLravoura"ble. : , '- " \. ' The -"Wellington Evening Post, states, that a record, for long-distance pigeon-flying— in - this" cptmtry, , at" any rate-^was •created, on' Monday ."week in the Wellington Homing Societyfs "race from Parenga, a smalls town ; "ship near the-'North' Cap©. birds' were liberated'at Parenga*at s" o clock 'bn'Mon,day morning. - The first -bird home ' arrived . at- exactly,' Mlf --past '3 in Hhe ,-af ternoon, '" having" flown* a distance lof nearly 500 miles " ,in lOQa, C speed of over 47^ miles an, hour.' This is "certainly i, record for -New Zealand, an^ inquiry __ will - be, made to see how. it , opmparee -with' the achievements registered . in v the Old Country. Mr W. / Bailey .is th© owner of the first arrival. The next on £he_ scene, was.jVfrO. Haynes's Vladimir, which. was trapped at ,3.50 'p.m., .after a flight of lOhr, 50min, .Mfc'A.' Clark's bird was third." "Nearly a score 7 of -birds, reached hbme-durhig. the night," which adds to the wonderful 'performance. Owing to the j ba6s weather, the. racers had to be kept in . their hampers" for a. fortn^fht_' before ,-liberatiort.- . The "".high northerly gal©"- doubtless acceler- ' ated the speed "of the birds.',On Saturday, December 21, 1987, the .Inyercargill- Homin^r Society .jflew alrac© from". Wellington to- InvercargiH,. a distance of -500 miles.. Four out of •&©" 37 birdsentered'reached InvereargilT on the day of liberation. This means a "lecord for 'the Dominion, -being th© longest -fly ye'fc completed in the one daj.-^The "W.elington' Homing Society's- is a Setter -performance:"} .The previous -record for the one '.day is held by one -of the Christchurch chtbs-^482.. miles m-12 hours. ,Mr Gordon Dnrilop^an old -member of th© socreiy," undertook to look ■after "the ."-birds " upon- their "arrival' by steamer at "Welling]!jbri,''and "to liberate them-j at " the ' appointed time, ♦ flT.m.' -In writing particulars to th© local secretary here; he thus "describes -the 'liberating, of "the birds: 'T got' T up-at 3 o'clock pn Saturday, iaorning, and my nephew and I carried the hamper" >up~ to th© top of th© . biggest ' hill j we could find. (KeTbnrno is a .good deal'] higher" than ..the - -city itself);," " I _ eotdd j hav©^ liberated the birds .a little as it was fine -clear morning, but J wanted! to give' them- all a good chance to have .a drink.- As the^ pos^-offic© «lock was striking 4 -o'clock, I openfed. the hampers, and the -pigeons all ,rcse .in a- bunch. They circled iouna /about three t times, and then mad© off in a- south-westerly direction. We .watched .them "until- they,-were- out of > sight. They all kept .together -with, the exception of the one bird I^told.you about that did not look too well. We oould 'fol-low-them, for a long -way on -their journey, j but from the time of 'liberation until they j were out of sight onl» six minuteg.^ The morning ,-,was. simply -perfect.- It ■> was' • dear .and calm,* -with. - hardly a 'breath -of • 'wind at -all. -If there was any breeze" it 1; was northerly, "and rin favour of the birds.' •Th© wind-xoss. about mid-day., and -chMsed all -round.. I "noticed /later -IjyJ the -weather ( reporte.at the . post '^Sfficcthat the winds j 'were in all directions' along "the route, but, j on the whole, appeared to be more favour- i "able thanV otherwise.'" Th© 7 - wind, in Inver- i cargflr 'Wtts*'"*a strong westerly," but the"' owner*, jyarned. bjr- « telesram from Mr \

Dunlop, were on the ,gui yive. The firsl. bird (Mr Pope's) timed in' at 7.25 p.m^ v followed 15min afterwards by Mr A. Bui.* -lop's, then Mr J Harper's" 2min later, and lastly "Mr. Muir's, -lOmin behind Mr Ha^v. , per's. ~ These ■ four * were the only lofts to. time in the same .day of liberation. The" winner was Mr 'Popes Sun God ; Mr A. Dunlop's. Red "Star^ Bred by ownev ofx , Red : Banner and , Huxley, '. was second,, Messrs T.- and, R^. Harper's Well Dono (third" place)' wa,s, bred by Messrs H. Trow and R. 1 Harper off Stockfish., and. an im- < ported strain. — Southland "News. The North Otago Pigeon" Flying Club . flew off its sepond Ashburton 'race on Thurs-" day, January"' o -. The 'race supposed to nave been an interval one, .'but s a^ large"- 1 number of members not being ready^owing to "the holidays a Sock race was , decided upon. The 'lß birds were, liberated by the sfcation-ms^ter ( at 11.30. aim-.,- there^boing a -head wind at Ashburton, .although- tho direction at Oamaru was north-east,- Mr " .O. "Eccles's win- with Starshoot was a very popular, one; his time for tho 100 miles being 2hr 22min. The club" desire to thank the -liberator and Mr'J. Chilcotfr ) (timekeeper)'." Results: — Mr C. Eccle's jStafshoot, velocity 1240yas ' per: minute ."."".'. - . : l' Mr B. "Valpy's All Blue, 1239 yds 2ft per ' minute .. -^ "... \. .; .. ~. . 2 Mr E. Brooker's" t)aisy. Bell, 1238 yds 2tt .' ■• 6in. per minute ,;, .". $ l Messrs F. Couper's St.- Jean 1238 yds, T. Cooney's Btutimore 1237 yds 2ft, J. -Robertson's JL*a Patrie 1237 yds. ' ■■ . „ ' Btarshcot was bred by' Mt "Wilkie of~ Waimate, and shdiild win again before tho' old bird' races 'are . concluded." ' All Blue* '. is Tths. breeding 'of MrM: Holmes, Dunedin/ and .also' secured second for that fancier ' in the Club's young bird race "from-Timaru last year. "He is the first of Mr Holmes' birds to secure a place in the Oainaru. Club's races. " .Daisy Bell was bred by the "owner from, some of his own birds. The next< race is -Gore- (interval) on Thursday, January 16. "