| Show THE PIGEON MESSENGER SYSTEM from noahs time to th the present day pigeons have been used for messengers both in peace and war the greeks were familiar with their ir use and employed them as messengers teaching their utility to the romans romano who used them to great advantage during the siege of modena during the siege of paris in 1870 communication between the authorities at tours and the b leagur ed city was maintained by means of the homing pigeon more than one million private messages and dispatches were carried over the heads of the german army conveying the only intelligence received of the on sufferings affer of those within the invested city to the outside world the messages photographed on a thin film of a single film containing messages and one bird could carry a dozen films they were inserted in a bec section tion of a quill which was bound to the tail feathers by passing a silken cord through holes boles pierced in the ends by a steel point the importance attached to the use of this bird by the french authorities today can be seen from the fact that foreigners are not allowed to release them on OH french territory or even enter with them for that purpose without a passport setting forth the conveyors name birthplace present residence number of pigeons number of panniers pan number of seals impression or of souls eals and name and place of to toss th the strict letter of this document dulai must be com complied lied with or the person having the birse birds in charge will C be refused admission and be compelled to return with them several shipments of belgian fanciers were so treated during 1890 the military pigeon service of germany is the most perfect in the world the fortresses of metz cologne and strasburg have each from four to six hundred trained birds the annual vote of credit for such purposes to is the commandant of the place is responsible for the birds and Js is as assisted slated by a noncommissioned officer two private soldiers and a keeper the latter receiving 20 per month on the western frontier cologne communicates direct with berlin miles distant and is a transmitting trans dg station for metz ana may ence strasburg Bt and metz communicate with tile capital through france expends on her military pigeon system there are no less jess than ten stations in paris the capit 1 J being communicated with from points at great distan distances cep by way of landes which communicates agwu with mar bellies seilles and perpignan lofts are stationed about grenoble the alps the pyrenees Pyre nees and the most important towns north and south of the country where the biris birds are used in one direction about are maintained for each d direction I 1 after the fi first rot so that where three courses are covered there are pigeons the russian government expends roubles coubles in maintaining a pigeon system posen thorn thoria konigsburg Konig fo To stettin and kiel in fact every important part of the country Is in communication either directly or indirectly with st petersburg by means of homing pigeons |
