A veteran naturalist : being the life and work of Tegetmeier . ft on the look-out to catch my bird (the best1 grizzle skinnum I had bred that year) assoon as he pitched. The rendezvous was abouta quarter of a mile off ; and he was to run withthe bird half that distance, whilst I was toconvey it the remainder. From the corner whereI stood I could see the loft of another I was waiting, I anxiously scanned his flightof birds that were being driven up by him witha long, light pole as they tried to settle to feed ;for to get them to come into the area directlythe racing bird had j
A veteran naturalist : being the life and work of Tegetmeier . ft on the look-out to catch my bird (the best1 grizzle skinnum I had bred that year) assoon as he pitched. The rendezvous was abouta quarter of a mile off ; and he was to run withthe bird half that distance, whilst I was toconvey it the remainder. From the corner whereI stood I could see the loft of another I was waiting, I anxiously scanned his flightof birds that were being driven up by him witha long, light pole as they tried to settle to feed ;for to get them to come into the area directlythe racing bird had joined them on lus return,they had been kept without food all day. Atlast I saw his head disappear in the dormer ;his flight settled. I saw the blue dragon thathad returned from Gravesend. The birds all raninto the area for the handful of tares he hadthrown in ; the trap-door of the area closed ; Iknew he had caught his bird, and that in tenseconds he would burst from the door of thehouse, and be first at the Blue Lion. Andwhere was mv bird ? At that instant John. The Coster-Girl. (From an Engraving interleaved in Tegetmeiers Article, My Fust Pigeon Race.) \Facing p. 55. FATHER OF PIGEON-FANCIERS 55 turned the corner, running as though dear lifeitself depended on his speed. My skinnum wasin his hand. Hurrah ! the prize was mine ; forliving further from the rendezvous, I was alloweda minute and a half more time than my dreadedcompetitor, whom I had just seen catch his John reached me mv rival rushed fromhis door, and with a shout of triumph, as he sawme waiting, darted like an arrow on his a few seconds that seemed to me an eternity,John rushed to me with my bird. I snatched itfrom his hands, and ran as I never ran beforeor since, for there was not a moment to be , with great speed I was sure of the prize,and I need not say I did my very best. I reachedthe corner of the street in which the Blue Lion stood, and leaned inwards, like a horse in acircus,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1916
