Darcy Mackie, age 13, of Sarasota, Florida, for her question:

Does the U.S. Army still use carrier pigeons?

The U.S. Signal Corps sold the last of its famous carrier pigeons in 1956. The work of the feathery couriers is now performed by radio and other electronic devices. This mechanical man made equipment may be more efficient than the message carrying homers. But it cannot compete with their glamorous history. The trained and trusted bird members of the Signal Corps performed outstanding duties through World Wars I and II and also the Korean War. Many of them were decorated as heroes for their actions above and beyond the call of duty.

And their message carrying services to mankind date back for thousands of years. Caesar's armies depended upon them, and so did the 19th century armies of Europe. Not all the messages carried by homing pigeons were military. America's first air mail service was carried by a loft of well trained homers. It was started in 1890 and ran for four successful years between Los Angeles and the island of Catalina. Half of the 48 mile flying route was over the ocean and the delivery service took about an hour. It cost from 50 cents to $1.00 per message.