CARRIER PIGEONS AT SEA.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9036, 17 September 1907, Page 1

CARRIER PIGEONS AT SEA.

USELESS FOR INTERCOLONIAL SERVICE. A " Lyttelton Tim^s " reporter^ yesterday interviewed some homing pigeon fancieis in regard to the suggestion made lecently that carrier pigeons should be part of the equipment of all steamers trading between Australia and New Zealand. The suggestion was that these pigeons were to be taken from, the port of departure on each trip, and in case of breakdowns such as that v/hicjh recently occurred to the Monowai they should be released, carrying information as to the nature of the. accident and the whereabouts or the vessel to the port of drparturo. The pigeon experts realised the beauty of the theory, but threw grave doubts upon its correctness and practicability. They said that the common impression that a " homer " found his vray back to his loft by instinct wcs quite erroneous, and cited several cases where pigeons, which, by reason of fog or other causes, were unable to eight thfir return route, absolutely refused to m?ke the attempt. It h?d been ascertained by experiments on Transatlant'c liners that a homing pigeon's limit distance from a point at .ssa to land was about 350 miles, and Jthat .only under the mcfit fiavourable 'conditions. The average limit would be about 200 mil-~s, and even then the conditions would have to be fair. A fog, for instance, would prevent the return of a pigeon, and heavy head-winds, attacks by seabirds and other, causes would operate still further to minimise the chance of success. In a long-dis-tance trial in New Zealand, under adverse circumstances, only 5 per cent of the birds got home, the refit beirg^ completflv beaten by a strong wind in the neighbourhood of Cook's Strait. At sea, unlpps the atmospheric conditions permitted the bird 6to sight the land, they could not return, and over distances so great that the rotundity of I the earth prevented the pigeons from s ; shting land at all, it wps impcssible to use them. Carrier pigeons were used with great success by coasting schooners in the timber trade in New Zealand, anl by the Naval authorities at Home, for coastal work, but for long-distance sea work the carrier pigeon was absolutely outclassed as a means of communication by the Marconi telegraphy system. * mmm — — —1 1 « ■■■ n ■ ■