File:Forrester's pictorial miscellany for the family circle (1855) (14752605845).jpg

Identifier: forresterspictor00forr (find matches)
Title: Forrester's pictorial miscellany for the family circle
Year: 1855 (1850s)
Authors: Forrester, Mark, ed Forrester, Mark
Subjects: Juvenile literature (American) Natural history Indians of North America -- West (U.S.) Aztec children
Publisher: Boston, F. & G.C. Rand

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e, with a crown and sceptre,beautifully decked with flowers. But Mistress Farmer is at home.Just now she is looking after the feathered tribe. The biddies arehelping themselves, as fast as they can, while Mr. Chanticleer says, Give us some more. You see one little fellow at her feet, look-ing up with doves eyes, as much as to say, I thank you, maam.And there is little pet upon her shoulder, illustrating some tale ofconfidence and love. The pigeon is very swift upon the wing. They were frequentlytrained to be carriers of news, before men became masters of steamand electricity. They were trained in this way: — A young one,well fledged, would be taken in a basket half a mile or so fromhome, and then let loose. It would go immediately home. Thenthey would carry it a greater distance, till finally they could trust iten a journey of one or two hundred miles. DOVES. 237 Persons wishing to obtain very important news in advance ofthe mail, would send one of these pigeons away from home, in i
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charge of a keeper, of course. At the desired time, after havingkept it in a dark room, and without food, six or eight hours, thekeeper would affix to it his message, and then let it loose. When 238 PICTORIAL MISCELLANY. first let loose, the pigeon would rise high in the air, making a spiralflight of observation. As soon as it gained sight of a known objectit would go off in a direct line to the point. It will fly thirty milesan hour. One of them once took a message from London to Ant-werp, a distance of one hundred and eighty miles, in six hours. These pigeons are used to some extent at present, but as I havealready intimated, the lightning has become a powerful competitor,and will probably prove a successful one. It clears the track muchquicker than the dove, but its path is not so easily kept in order. MY young readers will take special interest in the followingtouching lines, when they learn that Mr. Adams wrote them the daypreceding his fatal attack of illness, to accompany his a

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