A weakness or a Strength?

Jack Prescott
(Internet Published) May 2002

There are days when my pigeons rise to such a ridiculously high altitude that I worry. Up there in the haze or behind clouds I wonder whether or not I will ever see them again.

When I kept Tipplers and timed for other men there were disqualification's because the Tipplers had gone up and out of sight for more than the maximum period of time allowed under Tippler Contest Ruling. Some men would say that such high flying was due to super strength of such pigeons but I reckon that it's a weakness. They get on the thermals or terrain up-draughs and have no resistance to the lift - Surely this is a weakness and not a strength?

Likewise the marathon times with some tipplers - Do they fly because they are super strong and for the sheer joy of flying? Surely if they had any sense they would quit and drop when they felt the strain of dehydration, fatigue or hunger. However, they lack the courage to drop due to their strict training and unless they have the magnetic pull from the Droppers. With sheer boredom they may drop on some building out of sight of their own loft for a short spell. Now don't tell me that this doesn't happen because I know that it does. They have NOT the courage to violate their training and drop without clearance to the loft. Is this a strength or a weakness? Well, I reckon that it's a weakness.

Nevertheless, that's just my own opinion and not the Gospel, yet we must never exploit either a weakness or strength. One does not whip a willing horse, overload a camel or cause distress to the weak. As Shakespeare wrote " The quality of mercy is not strained".

[Internet Published May 2002 at http://www.tipplers.com/jack/]