Ronnie PhIlipchalk, aged 10, of VIetoria, B. C, for his question:

How are pigeons taught to carry messages?

A carrier pigeon needs no coaxing to return home, He is an affectionate fellow and he cannot bear to be long away from his mate. When taken from home he will fly hundreds of miles to return to his family without any help from anyone. How he does it is a mystery. But men have been using his strange talent for finding directions for at least 2000 years,

The Roman armies used homing pigeons to carry military messages, And the wonderful travelers still do military service, Often a homer has carried his message safely through shot and shell when all other communications were useless,

The plucky little bird does not know he is carrying a message, His home is in a loft behind the fighting lines, He is taken to where he may be needed in a box. The message is coiled in a small cylinder and strapped to his leg. When released, he flies a few circles to get his bearings. Then off he goes, straight for home. When he arrives home, he hops through a door that rings a bell, The waiting signal corp men know that a message has arrived.

Certain exercises train the homer to fly longer distances. But no one has to teach him the right direction home ‑ for he already knows.