Pigeon Whistle

Gourd Pigeon Whistle (葫蘆鴿哨 hulugeshao). Pao-ti or Ku-tze. Attached to the tail of a carrier pigeon. Entire top crushed and glued.This is a round whistle made of gourd with six bamboo inserts. Gourd is small, brown. It is inscribed with the character 忠 as its maker's mark. Whistles marked with the character 忠 are all from the Dongcheng district in Beijing (東城區 ). Pigeon whistles marked with this character have become very rare.