U. S. NAVAL INSTITUTE, ANNAPOLIS, MD.

HOMING PIGEONS FOR SEA SERVICE.

A LECTURE Delivered at THE NAVAL WAR COLLEGE, NEWPORT, R. I., JULY 20, 1896, BY PROFESSOR H. MARION, U. S. NAVAL ACADEMY.

So much has been written about the use of pigeons as despatchbearers on land that it would appear superfluous to dwell upon what has already been said about them.

The principal object of this paper is to discuss the employment of pigeons as message-bearers over bodies of water, a question which has of late attracted considerable attention in this country and abroad.

There are many instances of the early employment of pigeons for transmitting intelligence from ship to shore. The fancy for pigeons was already in vogue among the Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans. It is recorded that pigeons were used as message-bearers by the early navigators of Egypt, Cyprus and Candia, who often announced their approach by pigeons three days in advance of their actual arrival at port. The Venetians used them during the 12th century with great success in their war with the Turks, and it is said the island of Candia was once saved by a pigeon, which carried to Venice the news of the return of the Turks in time to send a fleet, which prevented the invasion. of the island by the enemy. In memory of this event, pigeons were, for centuries, fed at the expense of the Venetian government in the famous square of St. Mark. Further notable instances of the use of pigeons as war messengers are the siege of Haarlem in 1573, that of Leyden in 1575, and the bombardment of Antwerp in 1632. The organization of the modern military pigeon systems, however, may be said to date only from the siege of Paris (1870-71), where homing pigeons were most

France took the lead in establishing a military pigeon service and was soon followed by almost every continental nation of Europe. The military budget of France assigns an annual credit of nearly 100,000 francs for the maintenance of the military and maritime pigeon lofts. In accordance with law, the military authorities have also a right to requisition messenger pigeons from private lofts, and an annual census is taken of all available trained birds which might be utilized as auxiliaries to the regular military contingent. In order to encourage the breeding and training of homing pigeons, the government offers yearly premiums to the various columbarian societies in the shape of medals, diplomas and money awards. The experiments with pigeons for naval purposes were commenced in France a few years ago with the co-operation of the Engineer Corps of the Army, which loaned some of their pigeons to the Navy and detailed a number of their men (sapeurs du génie) as instructors at the various ports. The naval pigeon stations at Brest, Nantes, Toulon and Marseilles have given excellent results.

Each year, in April, a certain number of sailors are instructed in the care and training of pigeons for sea service. A torpedo-boat is assigned to each station for the training of the birds, which are liberated at sea, beginning with five miles, and by gradually increasing the distance, the birds soon become accustomed to their work. It has recently been proposed further to extend the French naval messenger pigeon service by having three different lines of communication radiate from each station, viz.:

1. By pigeons trained seaward as far as 300 miles, towards the English coasts on the Atlantic Ocean, and towards Corsica, Sardinia, Algeria and the Balearic islands in the Mediterranean.

2. By pigeons trained from each naval station towards Paris. 3. By pigeons trained to connect the various military ports with each other.

To insure these communications, birds are to be distributed as follows: Cherbourg, 500; Brest, 600; Lorient, 500; Rochefort, 500; Toulon, 1000; Paris, 500. The line of communication by pigeon post, established some time ago by the maritime authorities at Toulon for service between that port and Calvi (Corsica), is now in full operation, and a new line between Bizerta and Boni

this year between Algiers and Marseilles, a distance of 480 miles, with possible relays at Ajaccio (Corsica). In the colonies a regular service exists' between the Reunion Island and Mauritius. French societies all along the coast of Normandy are constantly flying their birds from Portsmouth and Plymouth, and these birds have often crossed the English Channel at its widest part. But by far the most interesting and conclusive experiment ever attempted in Europe, with a view of demonstrating the value of homing pigeons for sea service, was undertaken last year, by and through the initiative of Le Petit Journal, of Paris, as the result of a controversy with the Paris Figaro, on the possibility of receiving news by pigeons from the long delayed steamer La Gascogne, of the Cie. Transatlantique, on her return trip to New York two years ago.

The writer of the Figaro, who claimed to be an authority on pigeon matters, stated that pigeons could never fly 100 miles at sea, and would become sea-sick on board ship and consequently unable to leave it.

Parenthetically, I will state that I took occasion at that time, through the New York Herald, to contradict this statement, and cited an instance when pigeons, which had been purposely kept confined 21 days on board the Monongahela, between decks, had returned to the Naval Academy loft at Annapolis, over a distance of 200 miles. (See article by Lieutenant A. M. Knight, U. S. N., Proceedings U. S. Naval Institute, No. 72, 1894.)

The director of the Petit Journal, in order to settle the question in dispute, moved by high humanitarian motives, chartered at his own expense, aided by a popular subscription, the steamer Manoubia, of the Cie. Transatlantique, for that purpose. This great and novel undertaking, which cost nearly $5000, was carried out as projected. About 4500 pigeons, belonging to various columbarian societies of France, Belgium, Holland and England, were put on board the Manoubia, June 30, 1895, at St. Nazaire. All arrangements for their care and comfort had been carefully made, and the different cabins had been turned into so many minor lofts, each dedicated to this or that country and province from which the birds, occupying it, had come.

The operations were carried on under the management of the Le Petit Journal and a committee representing the various socie

editor of La France Aérienne, the leading columbarian newspaper in France.

Four tosses or liberations took place:

800 pigeons were liberated at 146 km., at about 91 miles from nearest shore (Pointe du Croisic).

1600 pigeons were liberated at 200 km., at about 125 miles from nearest shore (Pointe du Croisic).

600 pigeons were liberated at 300 km., at about 187 miles from nearest shore (Pointe du Croisic).

Finally, 1500 pigeons were liberated at 500 km., at about 312 miles from nearest shore (Pointe du Croisic).

Of the 800 pigeons liberated at 146 km. (about 91 miles), none returned to the ship.

Of the 1600 pigeons liberated at 200 km. (125 miles) during a heavy rain and strong wind, only three returned to the ship. Of the 600 pigeons liberated at 300 km. (187 miles), only one returned to the ship. Of the 1500 pigeons liberated at 500 km. (312 miles), twelve remained on the Manoubia, making a total of only sixteen pigeons out of 4500 which refused to seek land. During the trip, which lasted ten days, the pigeons drank, ate and cooed, apparently indifferent to their being on board ship, and none showed any signs of sea-sickness, thus disposing of the theory that pigeons would be unfitted for flying from that cause. In fact, pigeons or any high-flying birds stand transportation at sea much better than over land, as the rolling and pitching of the ship, providing they are not too crowded in their baskets, has no different effect than that which would be naturally produced by the swinging of the branches on which they are accustomed to perch when free.

The results obtained by this experiment surpassed the most sanguine expectations of the promoters of the enterprise.

The first prize, offered by the President of the French Republic, was won by a pigeon from Tours, which made the distance of 743 km. (about 465 miles), of which 500 km. (312 miles) over water, in 15 hours and 12 minutes, at an average speed of 48 km. 850 m. per hour (30 miles).

One of the most interesting features of the experiment was the speed made by these pigeons, of which Prof. Caustier, a member of the Zoological Society of France, has made an ex