Principle of operation of pigeon mail. How pigeon mail works. Like birds are looking for a way home

Before the discovery of the radio the most effective, safest and fastest way to transmit messages was a pigeon post. The maximum postal dove rate is 80-100, and the average is about 40-60 kilometers per hour. The maximum distance (in the summer, in perfect weather) is considered to be 1000-1200 km. Not long distances the likelihood of bird deaths is too great in a way, even if the release of their threes as kontrubenalov. Although there are cases when the Poland managed to return home from a distance of two, three and even five and a half thousand kilometers.

The main feature of the pigeon is worth emphasizing especially. The pigeon, being released, immediately returns to his habitual pigeon, where he was taken from the basket or a cage. Not anywhere can not send anywhere. In the fantasy cycle of George Martin "Song of Ice and Flame" Scientists of the crows spread letters to any place on the map. But in reality, the pigeon can "know" only one address.

When flying at large distances, the pigeon is forced to make landing for "refueling", so the pace of movement is sharply reduced. At night, these birds are helpless. Usually, the pigeons do not rise above 100-150 meters and "shake" by valleys. They do not like to fly over the water for a long time - although they can sometimes cross the sea on the mast of the passing steamer.

Stonehenge. The ancient observatory was intended for the same computing that the pigeon is able to do in the mind.

How do pigeons find the road, for a long time remained a mystery. Like many animals, they are sensitive to the magnetic field, but the compass will not help if not to know its position relative to the goal. The real "secret" of dove is in exceptionally accurate "internal clocks", allowing it to accurately determine the latitude and longitude over the position of the sun.

The "date of birth" of pigeon mail is lost in the depths of centuries. Perhaps, for the first time this type of communication began to be used in Mesopotamia in 2-3 millennia BC. It is definitely known that in ancient Greece "Winged Bulletin" used widely.

Greeks used pigeons mainly "for peaceful purposes." But the Romans back in 43 to n. e. In case of siege, Mutina was transferred with their help and military messages. And regular state pigeon mail was organized by Arabs in the 12th century.

The use of postal pigeons for a long time was limited to their high cost. Pigeons, for thousands of years of divorce around the world for meat, as well as our city, "Caesar" could fly except from roof to roof. For long-term communication required to create a new breed. In 12-13 centuries, a special postal pigeon cost as much as Arabic horse.

The ability of pigeons to navigate in space, as well as find the road to its permanent residence from anywhere in the world looks truly striking. A well-trained postal bird is capable of unmistakably determine the direction and choose the right path even if you enter it a large dose of anesthesia and in such a condition to take several thousand kilometers from your home. Very helpful, such unique skills people were able to adapt for their needs.

First postal dovestone in Russia

Until this days, reliable information on the exact time of the beginning of the spread of postal pigeons in Russia has not been preserved. The earliest materials that shed light on creating official pigeons, date back to 1854. They narrate about the attempts of Prince Golitsyn to pave the birds to deliver mail. In particular, to establish a quick message between its estate in Moscow and the estate in the village of Simes, which was at a distance of 90 miles.

Other sources containing earlier references to the official creation of pigeons in Russia were not discovered. From this we can draw conclusions that until the XVIII century, pigeons were used primarily for personal purposes. Namely, to transfer love notes and secret telegrams that tried to keep secret. Development at the state level Although it was successful, but it began much later.

In the next few decades after the successful experience of Prince Golitsyn, the popularity of pigeons rapidly gained momentum. The result was the creation in 1890 "Kiev Society of Powder Sports". After a short time, he was renamed His "Russian Society of Pigeon Sports".

The organization is quite quickly gained popularity. Until 1905, under her leadership, a special magazine "Bulletin of Pigeon Sport" was produced and regularly conducted competitions for short and long distances. With the beginning of the well-known events of the October Revolution, working with pigeons gradually came into decline and more or less began to recover only after 1925

First Russian Military Doves

Thought to use smart birds to help Russian soldiers for the first time came to the headquarters-captain rent in 1873. The man served in the Pechersk fortress for the posts-adjutant posts and in parallel engaged in teaching the pigeons, which he bought from urban lovers or wrote out due to the border.

Pernaya training started early. Approximately three months they were taught to portable curtains and regularly hid farther from the house, developing orientation. With properly perseverance, the bird quickly improved their flight skills and endurance, which allowed the best of them to fly for 12 hours without a break. The average speed at the same time ranged from 80 to 100 km.

The idea was successful, and from 1891 the official lines of pigeons began to establish all over the country. The first one was running between Moscow and St. Petersburg. Others connected a number of large stations on the Western and southern borders.

Under General M.I. Dragomirova pigeon sport has gained special popularity. He repeatedly initiated the holding of the winged mail contests, seeking to determine the fastest breed. The first bird, which set a record for the range and flight speed, became a row of the mail dove known at the time of the Moscow doveman of her homewood. He managed to cover the distance of 537 km in six hours, developing an average speed of 86 km / h.

"Military-pigeon aunt in the USSR"

Contrary to all forecasts, modern means of communication failed to push pigeon mail to other recents of the past. Moreover, during the Great Patriotic War in the USSR, birds were actively used in intelligence operations and to deliver important dispatches until 1945.

The first prerequisites for the use of postal pigeons in the public service appeared much earlier - in 1928. Already at a meeting of the Council of Labor and Defense, a project was submitted to a vote about "military-pigeon-duty". In 1929, he was approved by the order "On the adoption of a system of pigeon in order to armared the country," and a year later, he developed the first guidelines for combat training for parts of military pigeons.

With the start of hostilities, the control over the feathers was very tightened. According to the government order, the population had to withdraw and destroy all pigeons as an illegal means of communication. Those who refused to fulfill the order were judged by the laws of wartime. It should be noted that the sheltering has carried a double threat. During the German occupation, the detection of feathered threatened immediate execution, as the Germans were afraid that the birds would use in the partisan war.

What is the found to return home instinct?

With close consideration of the ability of pigeons to navigate in space, completely refute the widespread opinion on the exceptional nonsense of birds. Their brain is achieved as well that it is capable of treating many different operations at the same time. Pigeons are used to determine their location relative to the native home various information: geomagnetic landmarks, infrasounds, landscape features. In recent years, hypotheses on the acute sense of these birds are put forward, although a previous version has been refuted.

Unique is the structure of pigeon eyes. They occupy most inside the skull and emphasize with impressively sharply vision. A bright individual feature, alien to the human body, is to selectively focus. Pigeons are able to "filter" a visual row, obtained from the surrounding space, choosing only what is important for them at this moment and ignoring the rest. To determine the time of day, they do not need to open the eyes at all - the difference between the light and darkness they feel the skin.

Excellent memory and understanding complement the acute visual reactions of postal pigeons, which allows them to form complex trajectories of movement and skillfully operate it.

And one more postal secret -. It turns out, everything is not just like that.

Today, pigeons have a bad reputation. Many perceive them as stupid birds, which are shoved on the streets and spread diseases. Some are called their "wrapping rats". Although there is no reason for such a relationship, especially since pigeons are incredibly smart creatures.

Ordinary urban pigeons are well oriented in space and always find the way home. First, pigeons remember the path of the landscape on their way; Secondly, they remember the smells; Thirdly, they have an "built-in compass" with which they are focused on the sun. If one of these features gives a failure, the bird cannot find the road home. Prevent the blue back home, can banal artificial street lighting.

Researchers from the University of Oxford in the experiment was equipped with GPS navigation system of birds to track their route during the flight. During his trip, two pigeons had a choice, return home separately or paired. Birds found a compromise and chose something average - they went on a common route approximate to their individual routes leading home. The fact is that pigeons are able to obey the leader and follow it, but if the pigeons routes are absolutely different or directed in different directions, then the compromise is not possible. It should be noted that the pigeons in the flock overcome the route much more efficiently than alone.

Another interesting fact was collided by researchers a few years ago, when they realized that the pigeons could distinguish the faces of people. During the experiment, two researchers approximately the same on the set and the type belonged to the pigeons in different ways: one was kind, and the other was chased by the other during the cell. After a certain time, the researchers stopped appearing in front of pigeons, but when they appeared again, then the birds learned them and began to avoid someone who led themselves aggressively, despite the fact that he stood Mirno.

Among the little-known facts about pigeons should highlight the ability of birds to memorize certain information for a long time. Another experiment, which was conducted in the Mediterranean Institute of Cognitive Neurology, was aimed at measuring the properties of pigeons in comparison with baboons. Poland and baboons often demonstrated a picture and color, and animals were supposed to remember the associations. Pigeons were able to remember from 800 to 1200 associations. Although they gave way to babulos competition - this is a good result.

Recently, the study has shown that abstract mathematics is known. It is not necessary to calculate their behavior, which was previously considered prerogative only primates. During the experiment, three dials of items were demonstrated on the screen. In one set there was one subject, in the second - two, and in the third - three. All objects differed in color, shape and size. The pigeons arrived to peck on the screen first a set with one object, then with two, and later with three. When they deliberately performed the fact that they were asked, the pigeons showed kits containing from one to 9 items, respectively. As a result, the pigeons were able to distinguish kits with one, with two and three objects, although they were not taught that items could be more than three. This experiment showed that pigeons are able to understand the nature of the numbers and that they are not alien to causal relationships.

Many facts about the role of pigeons in the history of mankind are absent in textbooks. But everyone is well known what pigeon people were used from time immemorial. Therefore, during the siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian war, the city defenders used this talent of pigeons to transfer messages, which was faster than telegraph. By virtue of obvious reasons for less than 10% of birds survived in the military actions of the First World War. Many of the survivors were awarded for their unpleasant merit medals of Maria Dikin.

4. The pigeons are characteristic of superstitious behavior

In 1947, Skinner published the results of the experiment, during which pigeons with a slight weight were placed in the cell. They were fed regularly after certain intervals. Over time, 6 out of 8 pigeons demonstrated interesting behavior. One of the birds regularly repeated the same movement - brought his head into the angle, the other continuously moved along the cage in a circle. The fact is that the birds decided that they were fed only thanks to their strange behavior.

3. Dodo bird relatives

DNA DNA analysis showed similarity with dodo bird extinct bird. A relative of the modern pigeon is both a multicolored Nikobar Pigeon, living in Southeast Asia and in the Nikobar Islands. Before this scientific discovery was difficult to determine what family the dodo's disappeared Bird was treated, since it was characterized by unique external physical characteristics.

2. Pigeons can be different colors

Many it seems that pigeons are mostly medium in size, dark gray and live on the streets of the city. Most of them, yes, but it is only one of the species. Pigeons live around the world, and many of them look very beautiful. For example, there are fruit pigeons that surprise their bright green, red and yellow shades.

1. Poland several thousand years

Pigeon can be called human companions. The first documentary mention of them appeared more than 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia. In Egypt, the remains of pigeons in the ancient burials of people were found. In history, there were cases when people treated pigeons as sacred birds. They worshiped them, they were exalted. Despite the fact that some types of pigeons disappeared and became rare, they coexist with people with thousands of years.

Many consider pigeon mail outdated fashion. In vain. Unique instinct of pigeons, in science, called "Hawming", in antiquity made these birds indispensable for a person, and light memory cards turned them into the most effective postmen.

Sources

Homemade pigeons occurred from the wild rocky (SIZO) pigeon, which still lives in the south of Europe, in North Africa and South Asia, nests on the rocks and high ripples. One of the most ancient messages about pigeon mail we can find in the Old Testament. Noah releases a pigeon from the ark and awaits his return. And the pigeon really returns to the olive branch in the beak - the sign that the earth has become more suitable for life.

Pigeon mail was known in ancient China, Greece, Egypt. Roman historian and naturalist Pliny Sr. Sr. described how the commandant of the deposited Mutin of Deuti Bruut in 43 BC was able to notify the consul of Giroda about the attack on the city, and he arrived with the troops to revenue. During the Gallic War, Caesar exchanged messages with his supporters in Rome with the help of postal pigeons.

Price information

As we see, a special impetus to the development of pigeon mail was given by military actions, which, not stopping, go on Earth since deep antiquity. War - this time from an accurate and timely information depend on the fate of cities, armies and even entire nations. Egyptian Sultan Nur Ad-Dean paid 1000 dinarians for a couple of good postal pigeons. It is also considered the creator of the first official postal service - the network of "pigeon towers" throughout Syria and Egypt. Sultan efforts have borne fruit: the news of the sudden capture of the port of Damietta army of the French king Saint Louis in 1249 was transferred to the Egyptian Sultan Najm al-Din also using pigeons. This allowed Muslims to quickly counterattack and defeat the Crusader king.

But the pigeons helped not only win wars. The famous Kommersant Nathan Rothschild is obliged to pigeon her huge fortune. During the Napoleonic Wars, he sent after the French army of his agents, which was supplied by trained postal pigeons. While Napoleon tried victory, English securities fell strongly in price. But after the defeat of the Napoleonic Army, with Waterloo, the cost of these papers has grown sharply. Thanks to the pigeon, Rothschild learned about it before other merchants and bought off the paper at a low price.

Pigeon postal lines

No mail can be official without its main attribute - postage stamp. The birthday of the first brand for pigeon mail is the island of Greit Barrier off the coast of New Zealand. Message with the islands was difficult to hold the telegraph was still impossible to radio at the time did not exist. Only birds remained, and in 1890 an idea was used to use pigeons for communication. Birds coped with the task as effectively that in 1896 official and regular postal lines between Auckland were opened - the largest city of New Zealand - and the islands of the barrier reef.

Hawming

What makes the pigeons fly home, despite all the obstacles? In the scientific literature, this ability is called "homeing" - instinct return home. Even today, scientists cannot fully explain the mechanism that allows the pigeons to accurately determine the direction of flight, from the set of cities find the right one, from thousands of similar homes to determine one and from hundreds of windows to find their own. The brain pigeon is developed to such an extent that it can be called a natural computer.

This computer is able to process and store huge arrays of information. Collect her pigeons using all their senses. Most of the volume of his skull occupy eyes. They are arranged so that they remember only the necessary information that cuts off everything too much. Pigeons have very sharp vision combined with excellent memory. This allows them to form a route based on visual impressions.

In addition, nature has endowed the pigeons with a special "inner magnet." It is located at the base of the beak and is called the "magnetic receptor system". With its help, the hatched chick defines and remembers the level of magnetic tension near its nest. And this information he will never forget.

In addition to the magnetic "navigator", the pigeon has an infrasound "sensor", which allows you to catch the oscillations below 10 Hertz! Thus, pigeons will learn about the impending storms, the change of weather and the direction of the wind. Modern researchers also suggest that pigeons can detect odors (although most birds rather weak sense of smell).

And finally, for many years of life, side by side with a man of poultry learned to use his roads. Even with the ancient Roman times, postal pigeons in Italy flew from Rome to the north and back along Via Awaylia - the old coastal path, which in 241 BC connected the Eternal City with Gallia (now France). Italian scientists have found that modern birds adhere to this route. The ancient road has become a landmark for thousands of generations of postal pigeons. How they transmit this information to their descendants while remains a mystery.

Training

But you should not expect that, barely put on the wing, the pigeon will obediently deliver your messages. Sometimes learning takes quite a lot of time. And of course, among the pigeons there are more responsible and capable of postal case, and there are lazy people - everything is like people!

As soon as the chicks begin to fly enough confident, that is, about the third week of their lives, they are released in a free flight accompanied by an experienced leader. This ensures that they will return home. From a plurality of chicks flying around the nest, an experienced dovennik must choose several of the most distortive, best-focused on the terrain. They will train them further, individually.

Selected pigeons begin to take a little bit from home and produce. In the first year, pigeons are not trained at a distance of over 320 kilometers. For the first flights also need good weather. In order not to repel the wishes from the birds to come back, the pigeon must catch them very carefully. Well, finally, it is always pleasant to return to where you are waiting. Because mail pigeons is important to choose a spouse or spouse. Otherwise, they can find themselves a couple elsewhere and throw a native nest. But the pigeons "pool", as the dovers say, that is, they find a partner, once and for life! These are really marriages that are in heaven.

Pigeon mail today

Nowadays, there are many reliable and rapid means of communication: the Internet, mobile networks, telephone lines, airmail, in the end. Is the postal pigeon left now in our life?

For many people, pigeon is a tradition with which they're willing and not see the need to leave. One of these traditions exists with antique. The ancient Greeks were notified of the victories of the Olympians, scattered into the major cities of postal pigeons. In 1996, in the ancient example of the Greeks, Slovakia sent her "Powerrafts" in honor of the Olympiad, held in Atlanta. They were equipped with memorable stamps. At the homeland of pigeon mail, in New Zealand, annually arrange the flights of pigeons along the launched route between the Auckland and the islands of the barrier reef.

In addition, there are sports competitions, the so-called "Olympiad" of pigeons. Sports postal dove is a lump of muscles, enclosed in a perfect, streamlined body. It differs from his usual SIZOBA, as a professional athlete from the ordinary fan. Every year, the International Union of Pigeon Mail holds special competitions for birds.

Faster, cheaper, more efficient

But all this does not mean that pigeon mail has lost its practical purpose. In some conditions, pigeons can be much more reliable than a telephone cable that can be cut. For example, in the XX century, during the first and second world wars, they were successfully used both military and journalists. Especially effectively pigeons acted on short distances, for the transfer of urgent news or dispatch.

In peaceful life, pigeons will also give odds to the airmail. At the end of the 20th century, an experiment conducted an experiment in the Baltic States: who will quickly deliver a letter to the addressee - an aircraft, ground mail or dove? To the surprise of researchers, the pigeon was performed first with his task, ahead of all modern means of communication. Currently, pigeon mail is preserved in Switzerland and in Cuba, but use pigeons for practical purposes in other countries. In the Holland, pigeons still save lives - they deliver test tubes with donor blood in hospitals. It turned out to be faster and cheaper than car delivery. In Belgium, pigeons transfer secret information on special chips - tiny in size, but can accommodate the entire text of the Bible!

The emergence of modern information carriers will not reduce, but, on the contrary, will extend the life of a pigeon mail. The chips and memory cards weigh much less than the previous notes, and the information does not contain more information. It is not always safe to transmit it over the Internet, and the pigeon can quickly deliver it to the addressee. At him, unlike the courier, you can always rely: it is not subject to the so-called "human factors", it will not be bombarded by competitors. The main thing is to feed it as it should, and at your disposal will be your small supercomputer created by nature and polished by man.

My ... And we will cut you a wings ... "- viciously mumbled a galantereer Bonashe, Stroching denunciation on D'Artagnan. However, the use of pigeons in the role postmen It began long before the era of the French Musketeers ...

The pigeon, of course, is not a two-legged courier - you will not send it at any address. But to his native pilot, this bird returns with manic persistence, overcoming very distant distances - up to 300 km. And individual, well trained, postal pigeons are able to find their homeland at a distance of more than a thousand kilometers!
Add to this the absence of obstacles and solid speed (an average of 60-70 km / h), and will understand that in certain situations, when it is particularly difficult, the pigeons became simply indispensable.

"Symbol of the World" in war

Broadcast mail Messages The pigeons were especially popular during the siege of the cities, when the rare bolt was able to overcome the ring of the enemy environment.
The pigeons were sent to the Roman Dezim Brut during the siege of Mutin Anthony (43 G. BC), and the Dutch, deposited by the Spaniards, in the cities of Harlem and Leiden (1570s).

But the first, seriously organized and regular, originated in 1870-71 during the Franco-Prussian war, when the Germans took into the Ring Paris. The deposited citizens first sent news with the help of aerostats. However, the balloons were unmanageable - they could be sent abroad for the boundaries of the city, but they will definitely not send them back to Paris.
There was the idea of \u200b\u200battracting postal pigeons. They were lying in the cells and sent at balloons through the chain of enemy troops, so that they returned with response messages. Although the first time from 363 pigeons returned only 57, the idea cost.
The pigeon is not a horse, so pigeon writing wrote on very thin cigarette paper, put in the bag, which was mounted on the back, tail or poultry paw. Then came up with a more economical way ...
People brought letters to a special "pigeon" post office. There, the texts were recruited with small typographic fonts, modally like a newspaper sheet, and then photographed with a large decrease. As a result, many messages felt molded on a thin microplating, which was placed in the capsule and attached to the pigeons. At the site of receiving the film was projected on the screen, and special officials rewrite the texts of the messages.
Now one dove could once deliver information with a capacity of 70 thousand words and bring 35 thousand francs to the state paneous from grateful customers mail.
They say, the Germans even tried to fight feathers with the help of hawks, but - without much success.

It did not cost without pigeons and in the fields of the two world wars. Especially actively used to be used in the first world. Even whole companies existed pigeon mailAnd for greater mobility, mobile pigeons were used. Accordingly, the pigeons that are accustomed to one dull transported to another, with which they were going to keep in touch. Mondering that the war is a war, the same dispatch was sent to three birds to be reliably.

Of course, wired and radio communication gradually pushed out pigeons-postmen, but the birds continued to be used in the second world war. Soviet researchers calculated that in the period 1941-45. About 15 thousand "Powerhouses" were sent.
The most distinguished feathers military postmen Often awarded. So, the pigeon Sher Ami in 1918 was awarded the French military cross, and Joe's pigeons and soldiers in the 1945th - British Medal of Dickin. The most lucky dove under the number "888", which was completely given by the rank of Colonel of the British Army, and after death with the honors buried.

In 2005, even removed the cartoon "Pernation Special Forces" about pigeons - participants in World War II.

Pigeons and Rothschilds

Important advantages pigeon mail There were secrecy and is the main efficiency of information. More Ancient Greeks sent pigeons with lists of names of the winners of the Olympic Games.

But the most striking example is the story of the famous financial Empire Rothschilds. By legend, it is thanks to postal pigeon, Nathan Rothschild first in Britain found out about the victory over Napoleo at Waterloo. This allowed him to conduct a successful operation with French securities and earn a fabulous state.

The pigeon turned out to be a good helper and reporters. Until the radio was invented, the editorial office received information about sailing regattas with pigeons, which were pre-placed in pigeons on yachts.
However, this method of transferring urgent information reporters Reuters was practiced in 1962 so that the correspondents would not lose time standing in automotive traffic jams.

It did not always serve as legitimate and gloomy goals. So during Napoleon, when there was a customs war between England and France, pigeons often helped smugglers to transfer precious stones from the island to continent. Yes, and now in the districts of Afghanistan and Pakistan, these birds are used as ... drug trains delivering heroin.

Joke:
"-" and personally asked to convey, "said the postal dove and raided the letter of the recipient."

Communication without borders

There have been cases when postal pigeons turned out to be the only opportunity to deliver messages. For example, in distant seaside wanders. More Ancient Egyptians took with them postal pigeons During marine hikes, and then it became common among other seafarers.

It was the pigeon that brought the last news from the Swedish Arctic researcher Solomon Andre. In 1897, together with two satellites, Andre rose in a balloon with Spitsbard, wanting to reach the North Pole. Soon she came the fevering pigeon - they say, everything is fine - and after that the expedition had no hearing, no spirit of 33 years old ... While the remains of brave polar explosions were found on one of the northern islands.

By the way, about the islands ...
In the second half of the XIX century, when airmasters Not yet, and steamers went slowly, the inhabitants of the islands remembered pigeons. In particular, such a thought visited a person named Fricer - a resident of Great Barbier Island. Displeased postage steamer Between the island and the New Zealand port of Auckland, only once a week, he decided to establish regular in 1898 pigeon mail.
As a result, letters began to deliver daily. The fastest pigeon with the talking nickname Velocity could cover the distance between Great Barbier and New Zealand (90 km) in just 50 minutes. The idea was so successful that even special forms and triangular brands were published - first postage stamps for powerman.

Joke:
"- You know, I had a postal dove, but died in performance ...
- Like this? Shot?
- Well no! In the mail seed when the stamp was put ... ".

So in critical circumstances can still be useful. For example, today in remote and hard-to-reach areas of England, pigeons are used for blood samples in hospitals for analysis.