<h2 id="c25">TOUCHING INCIDENTS ABOUT PIGEONS.</h2>
<p>The homing pigeon has proved that
locality is a faculty fully developed in the
bird’s little brain, but I heard, the other
day, an instance of memory in the species
that was most touching. A lady living
in the top story of a Boston skyscraper
had been in the habit of feeding
the pigeons and sparrows who flew to the
little balcony before her window, and had
succeeded in taming some of her pensioners,
one or two pigeons even eating
out of her hand. One day, while passing
along Park street, this lady was surprised
to see a pigeon flutter away from some
companions strutting in the middle of
the road, and come upon the sidewalk,
where it almost tripped her up in its efforts
to attract her attention. It fluttered
around her, evincing every sign of pleasure
and recognition, and when she called
it by name the little creature fairly flew
at her! Now, in the midst of all that
passing throng the pigeon knew its benefactor,
who, with tears in her eyes, says
its recognition gave her more joy than
if the queen had saluted her. Under the
circumstances, it was to her great regret
that she had no crumbs to give him then
and there. But who ever dreamed of being
accosted in the street by a pigeon?</p>
<p>Our attention has been called by a
traveling friend to an incident which occurred
recently in the family of G. F.
Marsh, a member of the Pacific Coast
Pigeon Society. It certainly proved to
him, and to all his friends in that region,
in a most impressive manner the valuable
services which may sometimes be rendered
by the carrier pigeon, and probably
explains some of his enthusiasm in
that direction. His little baby boy was
taken suddenly sick with most alarming
symptoms of diphtheria.</p>
<p>The mother, watching by the bedside
of the little one, dispatched a message
tied on a carrier pigeon to her husband
at his store on Market street, San Francisco.
In the message she wrote the nature
of the child’s alarming illness, and
made an urgent appeal for medicine to
save its life. The bird was started from
the home of the family near the Cliff
House, five miles from Mr. Marsh’s
store.</p>
<p>The bird flew swiftly to the store,
where Mr. Marsh received it. He read
the message, called a doctor, explained
the child’s symptoms as his wife had detailed
them in her message, and received
the proper medicine. Then tying the little
vial containing the precious restorative
to the tail of the pigeon, he let it go.</p>
<p>The pigeon sped away swiftly through
the air straight for the Cliff. It made the
distance, five miles, in ten minutes, a distance
which would have required the doctor
three-quarters of an hour to cover.</p>
<p>In twenty minutes from the time the
mother’s message was sent to her husband
the baby was taking the medicine.</p>
<p>Naturally enough Mr. Marsh is partial
to pigeons, for he considers that he owes
his baby’s life to one.</p>
<p><span class="lr">George Bancroft Griffith.</span></p>
<div class="pagenum" id="Page_90">90</div>
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