The U.S. Signal Corps this week had its eye on a brand-new weapon: falcons to intercept enemy homing pigeons.
A falcon dropping on its prey whistles like a dive-bomber, kills its victim in mid-air with one powerful rake of its talons, sometimes swoops to catch the dead bird before it hits ground. Trained, a falcon will fly free (at 100 m.p.h.) to pounce on game birds. The U.S. can use falcons, as other armies cannot, without endangering its own homing pigeons. Reason: the U.S. has developed night-flying homing pigeons.
At Fort Monmouth, N.J., where the Signal Corps has 2,000 pigeons in training, Lieut....
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