(1) _Skill._ That required for a basic private, plus the ability to care for, feed properly, catch, and hold pigeons; to attach messages; and to train birds for messenger service. (2) _Knowledge._ That required for a basic private, plus a thorough knowledge of capabilities, limitations, and habits of homing pigeons. (3) _Personal traits._ A pigeoneer who is boisterous and of a turbulent nature tends to frighten and upset pigeons and thus reduce their effectiveness. The successful pigeoneer should possess—— (_a_) _Dependability._ To perform all his duties regularly and promptly. (_b_) _Kindness._ To obtain confidence of the pigeons. (_c_) _Patience._ To spend much time and repeated effort required for training pigeons. (_d_) _Neatness._ To maintain a sanitary and attractive loft for the pigeons. (_e_) _Firmness._ To enforce control over pigeons. (_f_) _Power of accurate observation._ To note and learn characteristics of individual pigeons in the loft by observing details readily and accurately. _b._ BASIC TRAINING. Only qualified basic privates are selected for pigeoneer training. Skill and knowledge to be attained in this course may be based on this manual. _c._ ADVANCE TRAINING. Qualified pigeoneers who complete basic training prescribed in _b_ above, and who possess the ability, may be selected for advance training which will prepare them to become specialists or non-commissioned officers. This training will teach: (1) _Skill._ (_a_) Ability to manage a training loft and to train both young and old pigeons. (_b_) Ability to manage a breeding loft and supervise breeding activities after schedules have been prepared. (_c_) Ability to instruct others in (_a_) and (_b_) above. (2) _Knowledge._ A pigeoneer should possess a thorough knowledge of loft management; feeding, training, and breeding of pigeons; and employment of pigeon communications described in this manual. 33. Introduction to Pigeon Training It is almost impossible to prescribe any one method for training homing pigeons. There are certain steps, however, that must be followed if the birds are to give reliable messenger service. The methods for training Army homing pigeons are prescribed in this section. However, they are not the only methods by which birds can be trained. Success with the birds depends largely on the individual pigeoneer’s experience and technical knowledge. This is particularly true concerning operation of combat lofts. 34. Settling Pigeons