Such are the facts given by Wilson, Audubon, and the early historians of the West. and abun dantly veri tied. The disappearance of birds. as soon as settlers began to im•ade and clear away the woods, was so rapid as properly to be called sudden; and it is not easily ex plained.
01 the pigeons of the Old World, the most interesting is doubtless the blue rock pigeon, or rock dove (('otainba lit in ) , the 'biset' of the French, a hind of extensive geographical range. It is found as far north as the Faroe Islands and over the greater part of Eurmw, and breeds in crevices of rocks and often within caverns which open on the sea. In a wild state this bird exhibits great uniformity both in size and plumage; the color is ldnish-gray. with two distinct bars of black across the closed wings. It is believed that domestic pigeons are all descended. from this species. although possibly some were derived from the very similar Columba interweelia. The ordinary domestic pigeon differs from the wild chiefly in color, and a tendency to revert to the original coloring has been observed. There are 250 or more domestic breeds, and they have undergone ninny remarkable changes under the selective care taken by intelligent fanciers, who often pay very high prices for fine birds. Some of the varieties which exhibit very strange peculiarities are known as 'fancy' pigeons, and are carefully tended and preserved by pigeon-fanciers. Of these may he mentioned, as among the most interest ing, the rough-footed pigeon, having the feet feathered; the .Tacobin, which has a range of feathers inverted over the head, and extending down each side on the neck, as a hood; the fan tail, in which the number of the tail feathers is greatly increased, and the bird has the power of erecting its tail like that of a turkey-cock: the tumbler, so called from turning somersaults in the air in its flight, and further characterized by a very short bill; the pouter or 'cropper,' which has the power of blowing up its crop to an extraordinary degree so that the head seems fastened on the top of an inflated bladder•; and the black nun.
None of these have the popular interest and value. however. reached by the carrier, or 'hom ing' breed, which is trained to return to its home from great distances, and is utilized for carrying messages in places where, sometimes, no other means of communication is available. This represents the highest example of pigeon develop ment. This breed is of large size, about 15 inches long, and has the eere very large and carunculated, the eyes surrounded with a broad circle of naked red skin, and the wings reaching nearly to the extremity of the tail. Carrier pigeons are trained by being conveyed, when young, to short distances of a few miles from home and then let loose, the distance being grad ually increased until at last as much as 100 miles may be added, and the pigeon made to re turn accurately and swiftly from 500 to GOO miles away. Pigeons intended for this use must
be brought from the place to which they are to return within a short period (not exceeding a fortnight) of their being let loose, and at a time when they have young in their nest, their re markable feeundity affording particular facilities for their employment in this way. The impulse of the bird is to return to its family with the utmost ha ste.
The use of cm•rier pigeons is very ancient in the Orient, and was brought to the attention of Europe at the time of the First Crusade. when the Saracens were found to have the birds in regular use for the e•ouveyancc of information; and the Christian commanders employed falcons to chase and intercept this pigeon-post on sev eral occasions, and on others caught the tired birds• substituted misleading messages, for those they were carrying, and sent them on to deceive the enemy. Arable writers attribute to the per fection of a system of pigeon-posts elaborated by the _Mohan Illeda n sovereign Nureddin a large part of his success in welding together the scat tered parts of his broad empire. Although their use, publicly and as an amusement, continued, it was not until the Franco-Prussian War of ISO that pigeons were again of conspicuous public service. During the siege of Paris con stant communication between the beleaguered city and the outside world was obtained by this means, microphotographs of military despatches, private letters. and even newspapers, being printed upon films of collodion and carried by the birds—as much as 30,000 words in sonic in stances. These would then be enlarged by pho tography and made legible. Subsequently the German. French• and other European govern ments established regular pigeon-corps in the intelligence departments of their armies and navies. and thousands of birds were trained, and many continue to be kept for use as messengers. Experiments were ti=ed extensively by the French in the employment of pigeons at sea. it was found that they bore voyages well, and would tly from a distance of over 300 miles to shore stations with great accuracy: hut that they could not be depended upon to go from ship to ship. In 1897 many trials were made in the United States Navy, especially by Admiral Sieard, and considerable success was attained. A similar news-service was also attempted by certain news papers in coiiperation with some of the Atlantic steamship companies, but was not long main tained.