Curiousities, Grotesqueries,
Follies, & Strange Customs
Number 2 A Messenger Pigeon
with Whistle & The Legend of Towednack Church Tower
Saffy has forwarded
a couple of fascinating pieces, but other readers are invited to contribute
local legends, strange traditions, architectural follies, and other arcana.
A Messenger Pigeon
with Whistle
This extraordinary curiosity was forwarded by Saffy, who
writes:
'Here is some info. to accompany the pigeon pic that I
sent on earlier.
These whistles (Chinese) are known as 'Ko-Tse'. There
are known technically as 'polyphonous' whistles, and are made from very
light gourds and reeds. Between two and fifteen separate whistles make
up each 'instrument'. They are attached to the tail feathers of pigeons
used for carrying messages. As the bird flies through the air, the whistles
automatically sound:; the idea being to scare birds of prey, and prevent
the killing of message-bearing pigeons. The device also alerts the recipient
of the message to the arrival of the bird - rather like the 'you have mail'
alert on many modern email programs!'
Regards - Saffy
The Legend of Towednack Church Tower
The village of Towednack is near St Ives, where Saffy comes
from. An ancestor of his was the churchwarden there in 1610. Saffy writes,
'The church has an interesting legend attached to it - like many villages
in those parts. The present church, parts of which date back to the late
thirteenth century, has an unusually squat and massive tower. There is
an old legend that, when the masons were building the tower of this church,
the Devil came every night and carried off the pinnacles and battlements.
Again and again this work was renewed during the day, and as often was
it removed during the night, until, at length, the builders gave up the
work in despair'.
Return to Table of Contents