Nor is that all the part the brave birds played at
this great time, for it was no other than some of our own fine homers that
conveyed the first news of glorious victory to Venice. Hence it was, that
when the Doge returned, in triumph, he issued a proclamation that the
pigeons should evermore be held in reverence."
Paolo paused, well-nigh exhausted by his enthusiasm, and, reaching over,
laid his withered hand on the birds that still cooed contentedly in Maria's
lap.
"It's no wonder they're so tame when every one has been loving them for the
last five or six hundred years!" she murmured.
"Paolo!" Andrea suddenly asked, with sparkling eyes, "do you suppose that
we can teach my pigeon to carry messages?"
"I shouldn't be surprised," replied the old caretaker, entering into the
lad's enthusiasm; "they're as intelligent now as they ever were. All they
need is the training. It's funny how their little heads can hold so much."
Reaching over, he took one of the birds from Maria's lap and pointed to the
bulge just above the tiny ear:
"Some people say that's where their sense of direction is located, but you
can't convince me it isn't in their hearts. It's the love they have
for their homes that makes 'em fly from any distance straight to their
nesting-places. I've noticed that a good homing pigeon has bright eyes, and
a stout heart, not to mention a keen sense of direction, and strong wings
to carry him long distances, but more than all else, there must be the love
of home.
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