| ° ae Pleo 7)
Why Racing Pigeons?

(The folowing is a public
information bulletin, written
-by J.A. MacUregor, public-
ity director of the Forest
City Rucing Pigeon Club,
London, Ontario, We consid-
er thi: excellent publicity
material for the sport of
pigeon racing and supgest
other publications may wish
to publish this article.
Fanciers are free to take
this article to their local
newspapers, in the hops they
may circulate this informa-
tion to the general public.)
_ From the middle of May to
the end of September, the
Sport of Pigeon Racing is in
full swing across Canada.

Clubs are in most of the.

major cities from Halifax to
Vancouver. In London, there
are three such clubs of
which the Forest City
Racing Pigeon Club and the
London East Homing Club
are the largest having been

RACING PIGEON
BREEDERS’ DIRECTORY
Al Addison Loft — Addison

Ave, RR. 3, Nanaimo, B.C,
Racing to beautitul Vancouver

. Istand, Visitors always welcome,

12-93

Bonrie Brae Loft — Fred
Downey, 92 Broadview, Pointe
Claire, Quebec. Ph. 697.3649,
Visitors always welcome. 10-75

David A. Brazier, RR 1,
Oshawa, Ontario L1H 7K4, (416)
655-4843. 1 am breeding and
cacing stock of my = fatner
(Richard). Four separate line.
bred and inbred families. 4-76

Britannia Lofts, where the
Racing Pigeon Is King. Bill
Baker, R.R. 3, Peterborough,
Ont. Visitors welcome, 7-75

“Fortuna Loft’, Ben Popp, RR
4, $1. Thomas, Ontario NSP 356.
imports from top German lofts.
Flying successtuity all distances
in the St, Thomas District RBC:

Ed & Dode Garner, Fairview

Lofts, 7 Fairview Ave., Thorn.
hill, Ont. 989-1281. Original
imports from England, Grooters,
Haveniths, Fafiners trom tne
U,5S.4. and Sions. - WIS

J.S. Green & Son, 151 Oreaney .

Ave., London, Ont. Flying the
East Course with English
imparts, Phone 439.9572, 12-75

Len Harris, 60 St. Julien st.,
Loncea, Ont, Flying the fough
East couse, Sions, Dorains ond
Bastines, with good success. 11.75

Homedale Lott, Wilt Meiers, 40
Burwell St... Branttord, Ont.
Pedigreed Oordins, Fabrys and
Ven Wallenghems,  _ 276

Kerkwiltie Lofts. P.O. Box $3,
Kamiocps, B.C. V2C SKI.
Breeding pedigreed Dordins.
from Klaxon, High tife and
Scout bloodlines, 1-76

- Richelieu Vattey Loft, Ress
Dey, 153 Oxtord Ave,, Otterburn
Park, P.Q. Heitzman & Root,
Slen Siena and = McGugan
Stasserts, — . W278

ft; CIMG PIGEON CLUSS

Guelch racing Pigeon Club -
Join the Sport, Fives. J, Fairfull.
Sec. Fred T, Hawkins, R.R. 2.
Rechwood, Ont. 376

established for many years.

There ureseveral hundred
breeds and varieties of
Pigeons but only one that
possesses the ability to
return from great distances
toits home loft. This breed is
the Long Distance Racing
Homer sometimes miscalled
Carrier Pigeon, because
they have been used for
message carrying for many,
many years,

It is recorded that the
Saracens used pigeons at the
siege of Acre in the
Crusades, for carrying mes-
sages over the heads of the
Crusaders to and from the
besieged garrison. During
the 19th century, Homing
Pigeons were extensively
used for message carrying.
Before the invention of the
telegraph, European Stock’
Exchanges, and most of the
great newspapers, used

* them for news carrying and '

maintained their own lofts.
Pigeons have been used for
message carrying in every
major war including the last
one. .

{n Canada, during the last

war, they were used on both
coasts by the Air Force as an

, finiary means ol com-

Munication Tor aircraft _on
submarine patzol in_case_ of
radio silcnce or Yanure, Six
members ot the forest City
Racing Pigeon Club, of
which the writer was one,
were in service with this
branch of the R.C.AF.,
engaged in training and
flying the pigeons. ‘The first
news of the Allicd landing in

orinanday on ay was
carried fo England _ by
Homing Pigeon, ovcause 0
(He soereee inv ved, There
are nc sound or radio waves
emanating from a pigeon in

- flight. In 1958 birds of the

Forest City Club flew news
of the United Appeai openin;
from Ottava to London. ° .
The racing of Homing
Pigeons is a fascinating
sport which appeals to all
ages. The Forest City
Racing Pigeon Ciub has
members from 17 to 75 years
of age. His avery unusual
thing for a hov, who
becomes Sincerely interest:
ed in the keepin iin.
an vine of Homing
tgeans, to become involve:
in_ juvenile delinquency, He
hasnt the time _ or the

inclination! He ts mn busy
with a fascinating, challeng-
ar reer hi

r aro hobby.

Homing Figeons race to
their home fofts because
they have an intense love of
fhat home and because the:
are devoted parents. Bot!
male and female incubate
the eggs and feed the young.
They mate in pairs and, if
left to their own devices,
would remain with the same
companion for life. .

They must he trained, like
“any Luman athlete. This is

done by taking them short
distances from home and
‘releasing them. These di:
tances.urce Bsiu in:
creased from a bevinning of
five tiiies ugh Tey ge
complish distances of 4,
6, and even Tog miles at
specds averaring about 40

mites per hour. This speed
Will Vary according to
whether ye wind is with or
against the flyer, Speeds of
over 60 m.p.h. are not
unusual, . :
“No preven theory of what
enables a Homing Pigeon to
find its way home, over’
trackless wastes, forests
and stretches of water,
exists. All that is positively
known is that it is an
inherent part of their being
which some individuals have
to a greater degree than
others. It can be improved,
as can their speed, by
selective breeding. For this
reason, they, like other.
valuable livestock, are bred
to pedigree and perfor-
mance. Carelessness in this
regard, for only a generation
or two, can bring a winning
loft to failure. Each bird is
individually banded and
registered by having a
seamless metal band, .
stamped with the year of
birth and the number, put on
over th. bird’s foot at 10
days of age. This band
remains: a perfect and
permanent means of identi-
fication on the bird's leg for
its lifetime — prevented
from ever coming off by the
growth of the foot to normal
size. Removal of the band
disqualifies the bird from
competitian,

The sport of pigeon racin
iste mostdem|c a
world. Our Qucen maintains

a

“a” Tot ings — Lynn
nplan ul any newsboy
T wh a loft ot good birds.

Te ecause (ney

“love their home and _ they

have as much affection for a
pizno box as for the plushest
millionaire’s loft. Homing
Pigeons are the world's best
demonstration of democra-
cy in that they are not
influenced by the wealth of
their owner,

~ Almost every Canadian
Club belongs to the Cana-
dian Racing Pigeon Union
which parent body = is
incorporated under Federal
charter. Every member of
every club has his own loft in
his own back-yard which
i tends to keep the fancier at
home. Every oft is indivi-
dually measured, by a
surveyor using the Great
Circle System, to the point of
release in the town from
which any given race is to be -
flown. One or two days ~
before a race, which is
always held on Saturday In
London, the members gath-
er from their homes, at the
Club Rooms, and bring their
contesting birds with them.

A rubber race band
containing, or bearing, a
concealed number is placed
on the leg of each bird, anda
duplicate kept by the Race
Secretary for future com-
parison. The competing
birds are placed in wicker
shipping containers and sent
to the city or town called for
in the Club Race Schedule
for that week. There they
are released at a specified
time by a convoyer. This
individual immediately
sends a telegram to the Race
Secretary giving the exact
minute of release, the
prevailing wind and the
weather. The birds are sent
to their point of release via a
huge highway trailer which
carries the entries of
approximately 15 area clubs
and up to 2500 birds.

From now on, the birds
are on ‘their own unti! they
arrive at their home loft
where their owner eagerly
awaits them. Now comes the
test of his control over his
pigeons! The arriving bird‘
must be induced to enter the
loft immediately on arrival,
Any delay here will spoil the
fancier's chance of winning
the trophy, .. 2° 0°:

After the bird enters the
loft, the rubber race band is
removed and placed in.a-
highly accurate timing clock
which records the exact
houf® minute and second of
arrival, The clapsed flying
‘time is divided into the
surveyed distance flown by
that bird, to that loft, and is
ligted in terms of velocity in
yards flown per. minute.
Sometimes it is necessary to
carry this velocity to four,
places of decimals in a short
event from 80 to 200 miles.
Generally, the distance
separating the arriving
birds is greater at te longer
distances of 400 to 660 miles.
An average club race here
would see about 200 birds in
competition. They are re-
leased with up to 2500 birds
from the South-Western
Federation of Racing Pigeon
Clubs. .

Every successful Homing
Pigeon fancier must have
his birds tunder rigid contro}
and be able to induce them
to enter their. loft at a

minute's notice. _Haomin
unrestricted treedam! One
Tien. TIViTe Tiroind the:
OWN home loft, is all “they Tt, is _all
at they are

wreciloin —t

normaly allowed. Gn _com-
pletion” of this eserccise
eriod the birds rae:

into _their_loft, where they
remain for the rest of the,

very Homing — Pieeon
fauner is (he sesorapte foe
of three Corn an OF _ toncre
pigeon which trernuents
Doras ond cy savares nod
parks These, Decnuse their
freedom is unrestricted and
they “themscives are not
under control, become pests,
“A successful tancier'’s loft
must be’ a model of
cleanliness and control,
Otherwise the physical con-
dition necessary te remain

_ constantly on the wing for’

from 14 to 16 hours a day just
cannot be developed in these
feathered athletes. In this
they resemble all other
athletes, including humans.’

Only through the peace-
time selective breeding and
racing of Homing Pigeons,
can constant improvement
be attained both in speed
and endurance as-well as
ability to home. Civilian
lofts constitute the only
reliable source of ‘quality
birds for emergency war-
time or civil defence use. .

A few years ago, the
Readers’ Digest published
the opinion of two scientists
who said that, because of
radioactive contamination
in a bombed area, Homing
Pigeons might become the

_only practical communica-

tion medium in a radioactive
area, because they could be
carried into such an area in
wood or wicker containers
which would not assimilate
radioactivity to the same
degree as radio equipment.

Be that as it may, pigeon
racing is a rewarding hobby
for any person 16 to 80 years
of age. It provides a
challenge to create, by one’s
own skill, Something better

.. than another can produce. It

gives a sense of accomplish-
ment in these days of
monotenous assembly lines
and mechanical repetition in:
employment. It is a most
excellent safety valve for
people who are under daily
pressure. Members of the
clubs in London include:
students, bankers, business
men, and average working
men of every income
bracket. Our members are
good citizens: -rar os.
oo