[Illustration: A Homing Pigeon]
A good deal of excitement was caused by the capture of a carrier-pigeon
in Norway.
Stamped on the bird's wings was "North Pole, 142 W. 47.62."
It was thought at first that it was one of the birds which had been
taken by Andree on his expedition, and that the North Pole had been
discovered.
It was found, however, that Andree's birds were all marked "Andree,
A.D. 1897," and after a few days of excitement and wonder, it came out
that the bird belonged to a German pigeon-flying society, and that it
had been released in Heligoland.
Carrier-pigeons are a particular breed of pigeon which have the
wonderful quality of flying home no matter how far away they are
carried.
Societies have been formed to fly these wonderful birds, and they have
been taken hundreds of miles away, over seas, to test this strange
quality.
The result has always been the same: the moment they are released they
circle round and round for a time, as if trying to make out their
bearings, and then fly off straight for home.
This attribute has made them of great value to man in many ways.
In times of war, messages have been sent by their aid.
A man has made his way out of a besieged city, taking one of the birds
with him, and by its aid has been able to send word back that he has
reached his friends and will bring the needed help.
The Emperor of Germany has just got himself into trouble over
carrier-pigeons.
Wishing to see for how long a distance they could be relied on in case
of war, he sent a messenger over to England, who carried with him a
great number of these clever birds.
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