For the Birds

Viscountess Dilhorne, who trained pigeons to carry secret communications from the rest of Europe in World War II, died this week at the age of 93. Secret agents and resistance fighters in Europe used them to communicate with London. The birds flew back to Mary Manningham-Buller, as she was known before her husband was titled, with coded messages strapped to their legs. Her knack for espionage was handed down to her daughter, Eliza Manningham-Buller, who has been director-general of the Security Service since 2002.