This is a film by Derrick Walton showing a pigeon fancier looking after his pigeons, taking them to a pigeon race, and watching them return home. The film begins with a pigeon fancier crossing a road carrying a bucket, accompanied by his dog. They enter a yard and feed the chickens which are wandering free. The pigeon fancier enters a pigeon coop and feeds the birds from his hand. One or two walk on his back as he fills the feeding troughs.  On the roof of the coop the birds squabble for...

This is a film by Derrick Walton showing a pigeon fancier looking after his pigeons, taking them to a pigeon race, and watching them return home. The film begins with a pigeon fancier crossing a road carrying a bucket, accompanied by his dog. They enter a yard and feed the chickens which are wandering free. The pigeon fancier enters a pigeon coop and feeds the birds from his hand. One or two walk on his back as he fills the feeding troughs.  On the roof of the coop the birds squabble for food and again some eat from the pigeon fancier's hand.  The dog enters the coop shows an interest in the pigeons.  On the roof some of the birds take flight, eventually returning to the roof of the coop.  There is more feeding, with one of the birds taking food directly from the pigeon fancier's mouth. The pigeon fancier cleans out the coop and prepares the travel cages. The film switches to a car travelling along a road towards the camera.  It stops and the pigeon fancier gets out and takes a cage from the back seat of the car.  After placing the cage on a walk he releases the pigeons inside. He gets a second cage and repeats the procedure.  Next there are a large number of pigeons on the roof of a house (the pigeon fancier's?).  A young pigeon fancier then applies bitumen to the roof of the coop.  Inside the coop the pigeon fancier inspects the feathers, noting their ring numbers and placing the pigeons in travel cages.  A number of different men are seen carrying travel cages onto a railway station platform. Pigeons are then seen being ringed with a special machine, and inspected by officials.  A train pulls into the station and the cages are loaded to be taken to the starting point of the race meeting.  As the train pulls away the shadow of the camera pigeon fancier is clearly visible on the roof of the train as it passes under a bridge. At the race meeting dozens of cases are stacked in preparation for the start of the race. The birds are released.  At a railway sidings, dozens of cages are stacked for the start of another race. The birds are released and the sky is filled with pigeons. A last reticent bird is coaxed out of its cage.  The pigeon fanciers pose in front of the cages before another flight of birds is released. The pigeon fancier returns home and awaits the arrival of his pigeons holding a stop watch.  Other pigeon fanciers also wait for their birds to return.  The pigeon fancier watches the sky through binoculars.  His first bird is seen returning, and he checks his stop clock.  At the Red Lion pub the race officials meet to record the race results, check the bird rings and their clocks (under-exposed film).  The winning birds are displayed in cages, and inspected by the judges.  The pigeon fancier is awarded first prize in Class 3. The End