HOMING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 57

HOMING NOTES.

♦1 Br Matjsta Meali. Mr H. L W. Hilton, a vice-president- of the Dunedin Homing Pigeon. Club, and manager of the Bank of New Zealand at Njbseby, was in town last week. He and Mrs Hilton and eon had just returned from a pleasant holiday at Stewart Island. Mr Hilton wishes to offer another cash prize in connection with their show, but prefers an interval race, the secretary of the Dunedin Club to supply colours' and ring numbers, of each owner's birds in a sealed envelope, td be opened after the show, and Mr Hilton will guarantee to liberate all of euoh owners' birds at intervals of five minutee. I am sure the "Dunedin Club will be very pleased to comply with Mr Hilton's request. Mr W. Turnbull, of the Christohurch i Homing dub, and who has been racing for the last 10 years, having owned and trained winners from Invercargili on the south road, and Napier, Gisborhe, and Auckland on the north road, called _on Mr Finnegan early last Sunday morning, and expressed a wish to see Jean Gerardy and 00. A visiting fancier is always welcome at the Sunwick loft. Naturally Mr Turnbull was anxious to see the winning birds and handle them, but Mr Finnegan allows no one to touch his birds during the day. Mr TjirnbuU picked out Jean Gerardy and Wakeful as two beautiful types, of racers, and was not surprised at 'tneir success on the road and in the show pen. Aprie Moi and Lady Butte also caught his eye. In -the .afternoon Mr Finnegan took the visitor out to Mr-Esquilant's lofte at St. Kilda. The blue chequer cock The Surf, who as a yearling flew second in the Cape Campbell race, first Khandallah 400 mile», and ttird Taihape 507. was greatly admired, also Amber, Mariner, Tempest, l Hailstorm, and Ripple— all successful I racers. ' Mr Turnbull was very interested 1 in our timing^in clock, which he considered the best lie nad seen. Mrs Esquilant provided afternoon tea, -and a very pleasant afternoon was spent. Visitor* are always hospitably treated by the owners of the St Kilda lofi. FOOD FOR NOVICES. — Old Hands Barred.— Tears ago homing pigeons could win raoee. As long as they got home at some time or the other it was good enough. Few could get home from such distances as 300 or 400 miles. Now matters are quite different. Homing pigeone are things of the past. If you don't keep racing pigeons that will race all the way, whether the distance is 100, 200, 300. or 500 miles, your chances of winning prizes are hopeless. The same strain* that could win m rough weather, and had to rough it 1& or 20 years ago, can win to-day. But even if the weather is as "bad as H can possibly be, they have got to race to win. I don't believe we have improved $ie bird much, bat we have improved in our methods of management. We understand them better. We know now how necessary it » to study their every comfort in- the basket*. We know now how necessary it is to give them a good start. We know now how necessary it is to only send a. bird in condition if we want to win in the racess. Juet imajrine someone coming to me and saying, "Squills, this te your bicycle. Years ago you rode to Newmarket and . back, starting in the afternoon. You must .do it to-day." What a nice figure I should cut undertaking suoh a job at the present time. I should- just like some of those fanciers who have" been boxens, swimmers, or athletes, to take off their coats and try their hands against even a moderate man^ who has been keeping himself fit for the job. Even if .they firiishetl the course, they would finish in a state 01 collapse. I cannot imagine how it is fanciers will not apply this ordinary common-sense view 1 iof the matter to their pigeons. , t Quality and condition will and can win L [

When I find a good and generally successful fancier sending just two or three birds to a race, I feel more afraid of him than when he sends a lot.

The picked few come . generally up to expectations. No mattar huw hard the race, 100 por cent, usually get home at some time or the other.

I know the difficulties that beset the beginner's path in acquiring the necessary knowledge to pick hja birds. It is a big and 1 difficult task, but I know also if the game is played year after year, of sending every blessed bird in the loft to the end j that much disappointment will have to be faced, and year after year a. man is in a little better position than a beginner. We" breed yearly thousands of pigeons. Amongst these how many good ones are there? - J Perhaps a few hundred. • "*■'■■

Then amongst the good ones how many champion:- ore there? A biri that wins a single race, a hard one if yon like, is not a champion in the sensa I mean.

It mint "do it once, and do it again under the same conditions."

We have all got a sneaking likeness for fast velocities. I have heard real good fanciers say: "There's nay Red" Beat All cocky he won with 16W from Swansea." But w-hat a frost these 'ast winners usually are. Even under the same conditions they seldom win again, and '99' out of every 100 go down like ninepins when theyr-meet a nose-ender or 'get- a "bit of - rough weather to face. When a fancier has acquired the happy knack of knowing when a pigeon is or is not fit, then, v and then only, is permanent success poasrbie, and not before. A thin bird is not always fit. A hard bird is not always fit. A man is better able to judge the fitness of his "own birds than of the fitness of other peoples', simply because he knows their peculiar characteristics. I like pigeons that harden Up and recover quickly from a long, hard 1 fly. You dont want better evidence of fitness than quick recovery after a long journey. The best evidence of lack of fitness is collapse after a journey. _ Collapse and a. slow -recovery, ouch birds seldom have the courage to face another big fly the same year. Some never again. Many a good game bird is thrown awayby fanciers because they won't give them time to recover from the test effort. Afte- a hard, punishing fly let your birds have rest. It will do them more good than punishing, forced exercise. - _ They put on flesh rapidly at this period, but a little extra flesh will serve in- good stead when sending a bird to the final race. I have promised from time to time to speak about the wing, but have put it off, other things cropping up in passing. I call a. real bad wing one with a long flight gone and 1 another only a fourth grown. I don't like a wing in this condition when sending a bird to the lone races. " The wing I like is a 10 a-side, kept in ■this condition t>y fce«Kng- a. youneater. I don't like a bird just about to^hrow a flight. • I have won many a good, hard race with a bird with its 'first and second flightß nicely grown up, and the third just thrown. 1 don't think flying with 'a wing in this condition is nearly as painful or punishing to a bird as with nine long flights each side, and the tenth about half an inch out j of the socket. I don't like a pigeon that has moulted beyond its fourth flight, unless you can keep its wing right and nearly full. I like to see the new feathers growing full and freely. Broad, dean, and without any nftatv fret edges, or fret marks across them. No better evidence is possible than this that a bird !s fit and well.— "Squills, in Racing Pigeon.