Scientific American Supplement No. 819, September 12, 1891Various
Science
Scientific American Supplement No. 819, September 12, 1891
Various
Science -- Periodicals
A law of the 3d of July, 1877, supplemented by a decree of the 15th of
November, organized the application of carrier pigeons in France.
One of the last enumerations shows that there exist in Paris 11,000
pigeons, 5,000 of which are trained, and, in the suburbs, 7,000, of
which 3,000 are trained. At Roubaix, a city of 100,000 inhabitants,
there are 15,000 pigeons. Watrelos, a small neighboring city of 10,000
inhabitants, has no less than 3,000 carrier pigeons belonging to three
societies, the oldest of which, that of Saint-Esprit, was founded in
1869.
In entire France, there are about 100,000 trained pigeons, and
forty-seven departments having pigeon-fancying societies.
_Germany._--After the war of 1870, Prussia, which had observed the
services rendered by pigeons during the siege of Paris, was the first
power to organize military dove cotes.
In the autumn of 1871, the Minister of War commissioned Mr. Leutzen, a
very competent amateur of Cologne, to study the most favorable
processes for the recruitment, rearing, and training of carrier
pigeons, as well as for the organization of a system of stations upon
the western frontier.
In 1872, Mr. Bismarck having received a number of magnificent Belgian
pigeons as a present, a rearing station was established at the
Zoological Garden of Berlin, under the direction of Dr. Bodinas.
In 1874 military dove cotes were installed at Cologne, Metz,
Strassburg, and Berlin. Since that time there have been organized, or
at least projected, about fifteen new stations upon the frontier of
France, upon the maritime coasts of the north, or upon the Russian
frontier.
Berlin remains the principal rearing station, with two pigeon houses
of 500 pigeons each; but it is at Cologne that is centralized the
general administration of military dove cotes under Mr. Leutzen's
direction. The other stations are directly dependent upon the
commandant of the place, under the control of the inspector of
military telegraphy. The Wilhelmshaven dove cote, by way of exception,
depends upon the Admiralty. In each dove cote there is a subofficer of
the engineer corps and an experienced civil pigeon fancier, on a
monthly salary of ninety marks, assisted by two orderlies. In time of
war, this _personnel_ has to be doubled and commanded by an officer.
The amount appropriated to the military dove cotes, which in 1875 was
about 13,000 francs, rose in 1888 to more than 60,000 francs.
As a rule, each dove cote should be provided with 1,000 pigeons, but
this number does not appear to have been yet reached except at Thorn,
Metz, and Strassburg.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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