HOMING NOTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2934, 8 June 1910, Page 44

HOMING NOTES.

Br Madsta Mealy. The Bnnedin Homing Pigeon Club flew off the last of its young-bird races on Saturday from Ash-burton, an oir-line distance of 151 miles. Mr M'Donald liberated the birds at noon. The weather was dark and gloomy. Forty-nine birds, representing 13 lofts, competed. The race resulted as follows : Mr R. A. Umber's Monarch 11. time Ihrs velocity 949yds 2ft 4in 1 Mr P. Gl?,rk's Prince Charles, time 4hrs 49imin. velocity 913yds Oft 8 in ... .2 Mr S. Watson's Grizzle Princess, time Sbrs 3£mm, velocity 870yds Ift 6in ... 3 Mr" A. Sterne's bird, time shrs 17min, velocity 840yds Ift 6in * Mr E. Henderson's Neglected, time shrs 16£-min, velocity 839yds 2ft 5 Mr Clark wins the silver cup presented by Mr Finnegan for most points in youngbird races. At the Christ-church Fanciers' Club's show last week Mr Finnegan's Apres Moi won the first ri'ize f<> r 500-mile hen; Bobrikoff first prize for 300-mile, cock; Jean Gerardy II second prize tor 300-mile cock; and All Red *foird prize for 100-mile cock. The working homers at the Dunedin fanciers' show totalled 142. They-were a very mixed lot, and some of the exhibits had no possible chance of a prize. Still, the experience gained by the owners in comparing them with the winners will, or ought to be, of valuable assistance in selecting their show birds for forthcoming events. In the 500-mile cocks the issue was between three birds owned by Messrs Veitoh. Tattersfield, and Reeves, and they filled the positions in the order named. Mr Veitoh s bird Baldwin II is the holder of the Dominion leeord for one day's fly—--557 miles in, 14 hours 46 minutes. He is a beautifully-feathered bird, with good body and a fin© pair of wings. He is weak in the. head, and is not a bird to breed' show winners from. Nevertheless, he is a good racer, and that is the principal thing in a homer. The hens in this class were only moderate. In the 400-mile cocks the-, winner hails from l Oama.ru, and is owned bv Mr Gordon. He i?- a dark red Baker — Grannie, and is a compact little bird, shown in fine ■condition.: -Mr Stone's Bona.mi King, last year's -. winner, was a good second. He did not look so bright this year. The third bird, Mr Veitch's Good Mealy, is a very.nice plain blue. The 400-mile hensi were a g-ood class. The winner is a nice- mealy, very alert, snd of excellent tyjpe. The second prize was won bv Killarnev (Baker —Grannie). A typical racer, and is the dam of the winner. Mr Hunt had the birdls v in fine condition. The third, a blue chequer, shown by Mr Robertson, of Oamaru, was very showy and of good type. For the 300-mile cock Mr Veitcb's Golden Dream was first. He is a red chequer pied, is a big little bird, —a hummer.—and just the bird to catch a judge's eye, being full of quality. The second prize was won by. Mr Hunt's mealy cock Idealist. He also is a beauty. This bird should have been in the 500-mile class, as he has flown from Nsipier—ss7 miles—on the day of toss, and was a most consistent worker. His stock are winners, as he is the sire of the 400mile, winner in the hens' class. Idealist is! well bred, full of Jurion and Barker blood'. He is a medium size, intelligent head, powerful wings, and is an ideal stock bird. The 300-mile hen, Mr Hunt's Dorothy, is a model, and for show purposes the best hen from Mons Gerard and Grannie. She is a plain blue, and would win almost anywhere. Her feathers are like silk, and she is a beauty to handle. Mr Hunt was second with a blue chequer, a daughter of Idealist Killarney. She is the makings'of a champion, and gave Dorothy a good go. Mr Beeves was third with a very nice red chequer, but she met two champions, and had to go under. Mr. Hunt won the 200mile cock class with Mons Frere (Mons Gerard—Grannie), a beautiful show bird, which won at Gore, InvercargiLl, Christchurch, Wanganui, and previously at Dunediin. He is a dark fed, and resembles his brother Jean Gerardy; hence his name, which .means "my brother." Mr Clark informed mo that the second bird, a nice blue chequer of Mr Hilton's, nearly beat Mr Hunt's bird. He has an excellent body and wings, and was shown in fine oond: + -"or Tbo judge was a long time deciding which bird to give the prize to. The third prize h 3nt to Mr Muir, af Invercaruill. who showed a good eorfc of red chequer, bui very timid. The EOO-mile hen

winner, shown by Mr Robertson, of Oamaru, is a fine type of a hen. Mr Hilton was second, his hen not being too good in the head. I liked the third hen ■very much—a dark blue chequer of Mr Hunt's, which I consider was unlucky. She strongly resembles Gerard's imported Baker cock. She has beautiful feathers, and 13 just the type I would select for a stock lien. Mr Hunt was first and second in the 100-mile cook class, over one year. The winner, a red chequer cock, named Sir Frederick, was an easy first. He is a magnificent type of a homer, close feathered, with rare wings. He would make an excellent mate for the dark blue chequer hen placed third in the 200-mile class if she is a Baker. Sir Frecferick is from. 88a, the dam of Mons Gerard, and the Baker—Grannie cross are great winners over long distances. The second prize •winner is a black chequer, Osman Pasha • —a. goocV type, and so is Mr Riach's bind, third, a blue chequer, rather short in head. The 100-mile hen class was won by Mr Clark's blue chequer, Bonami strain; a perfect lady, wiith fine body and good featner. Mr Hunt -was second with a fine big" racylooking bird, full of quality, and should! make a fine long distance racer. She resembles her dam Apres Moi in colour and/ head. The third bird, Mr Muir's, a blue chequer, was in a hot class. She ha 3 good feather. A very nice red chequer hen was in this class. She looked a picture, and I consider was very unlucky in not getting a ticket. The 100-mile class for young cocks unearthed a champion in Mr Hilton's bird. He is a hummer —a blue chequer with powerful wings, excellent body and feather. I fancy he wins Mr Tattersfield's silver cup for . the best young homer in the show. If Mr Hilton has any to spare I should like a brother or a sister of this bird. The above class was the biggest in the show. Mr Clark's red chequer, which was second, met a champion. Mr .Short was third with a very big mealy, too large for a youngster. The best of the remaining classes was a fine blue chequer pied cock, winner of. the 50-mile class, and owned by that good old sport, Mr P. Mason, the wellknown ex-totalisator proprietor. This bird is a beauty, and was shown in fine condition. He is from a son of Mons Gran and Britannia. Mr Clark states that he had great difficulty in deciding the winner of likely flyer class over one year. They were three birds out on their own in this class. Mr Syd. Watson eventually won with Mons Sunwich, a grandson of Mons Gerard —Grannie. Mr Reeves's pain blue was second and Mr Hunt's Hard Case third. It was a toss up which to give the prize to, but condition settled the verdict. Mr Hunt had it all his own way in the teams classes. I congratulate Mr Clark on his decisions. He had a very difficult task. It is all very well for some exhibitors to complain, but I ask them to wade through 150 pigeons of all types. Some classes are very different, and a judge to be consistent endeavours to keep to what he considers the type of a pigeon, and the bird that he would like to have if he were buying to keep for himself, and not to give a bird a prize simply because someone else has done so. Mr Clark's motto' is to judge without fear or favour, and to satisfy himself at all costs: First, condition; second, feather; third, shape and make of the bird; fourth, carriage and general appearance of the bird; fifth, the head of the bird.

, I have pleasure in giving my views of what a working homer should be. Size: 'A bird should not be too small; you want au medium size. Sometimes you will see a Ifttle bird winning just -because it is neat and pretty, and takes the eye as you see it in the pen. My idea is a thick-set. cobby, good-looking, hard, close-feathered bird. The feathers should look all in one piece from head to tail, with plenty on ■body as well as the wings, as good feathers on the body help to keep birds in the air, meaning more buoyancy for the birds. The primary, or flying, feathers of a bird should be broad, with a strong quill, and, when the wing is pulled out, feel thick with feathers; and a bird should not be too short in the flights, which should reach to about three-quarters of an inch from the end of the tail The secondary flights should also be broad and well lapped into -One another. The wings should be made in proportion to the size of the body the fcird has to carry. No- signs nor marks of badly-nourished flights should be seen. I do not like the outer ends of the last three or four flights to be too thin or transparent, but to be well rounded off at the ends with good webbing. General appearance and shape: A bird should be wedge-shaped; when you handle him he slips through, your hands. Short on the legs, and a bold, upstanding bird with a noble, intelligent-looking head, with plenty of style and carriage erect. Colour of eye: I am not particular about colour as you get good' birds of every colour. The. eye should be fiery, either_ bright red or .peairl eyes preferred. The size: For a cock bird, 18oz to 19oz; a hen. 16oz to 17oz. Few fanciers are aware what a bird weiirhs. but I have weighed scores, and a bird under a pound is a small one. Condition: This is the vital point in judging homers, in my opinion. A bird should be in tintop form. No doubt many fanciers who visit the shows criticise the judge after he rps made his awards without ever examining the birds,, except his looks in the pen. You might, win first, prize under a certain judge, and the next time you show under him vou don't get a mention. _ In ■most cases the bird is beaten on condition, especially if he is a practical homer judge. I have tried to explain what I want in a racer and should it please my readers it will pleas© me as well to enlighten them on the subject.. As I am leaving Dunedin this week for Christchurch, this column will be handed over to a well-known working homer fancier who knows perhaps more than I do about our little favourites. So I wish my numerous .readers srood l health and good luck to the end of all time.