A young pigeon begins his racing life when he is ten weeks old, with graduated journeys, varying from two to fifty and seventy miles in length. At the age of six months he is usually fed on a diet of beans and maple peas for a few months of hard racing work, the season commencing in April. The length of the races varies from 50 or 100 to as much as 600 miles. There is not competition between rival fanciers and great excitement about the results. Winter is the pigeon's time of retirement. He is not compelled to race, for racing is only profitable when wind is fair and the air is absolutely clear. Whatever the wonderful power that guides the pigeon home over hundreds of miles of unknown country, it is certain that sight plays an important part, for the least sign of haziness in the air will put the pigeon in the position of a derelict ship. A bird of good quality costs from $5 to $20 when one month old, and a practiced racer one year old generally brings from $25 to $100. When using these birds for messenger service the message is written upon the thinnest rice paper, rolled up and deposited in an aluminum holder, which is fastened to the bird's leg. This holder is in the shape of a capsule, with a small band which is easily attached to the leg of the bird. Professor Marion of the Naval Academy at Annapolis invented the holder, which is water tight when the lid is on, and weighs but eight grains. One of the most remarkable incidents illustrating the wonderful memory of a homing pigeon was that of a bird made a prisoner during the Franco-Prussian war. This pigeon after being in captivity for ten years immediately returned to its home after being liberated from confinement in a foreign country. The hardships which these birds will unflinchingly face in returning home can hardly be appreciated by those who are not familiar with them. Birds so badly shot or torn by hawks as to be rendered almost helpless, notwithstanding their injuries will struggle onward until at last their home is reached. From extreme distances, such as points beyond 500 miles, the birds are at a great disadvantage, inasmuch as they are thereby forced to forage for themselves, something they are not trained to do. As a result they are unreliable and slow when called upon for such work. There are birds which have homed 614 miles air line the day after, and there are a few pigeons in this country that have covered more than 1,000 miles, air line, the extreme distance covered being 1,212 miles.