City's bronze pigeons are novel attraction

But now the little statues have learned that reading is strictly for the birds after becoming the latest members of an exclusive book club.

Yesterday, the Leith installation has become the newest site for the craze of bookcrossing, where members of the public leave literature for others to find.

Appropriately, the novel left behind for the bronze artworks was called 'The Pigeon' by Patrick Suskind.

The stunt was carried out by charity worker Juliet Wilson, 40, a bookcrossing fan from Gorgie.

The bookcrossing website has more than 1000 registered members in Edinburgh, although only around 100 of them are active.

The craze started in America in 2001 where readers were encouraged to go on a "book safari", hiding books in various outlandish places.

The site now has over 100,00 members in locations varying from Afghanistan to Antarctica.

When Ms Wilson dropped off the novel beside the city's famous bird statues, she left a note which read: "Congratulations! You've found a Bookcrossing book - now take it home and read it!".

She said: "I never realised that leaving a book there would cause that much reaction.

"I got into Bookcrossing after I found a book on the Leith Links. Then I had a look and found there were regular meetings about Bookcrossing.

"Some people are a lot more adventurous than others. There is one bookcrosser in the north of Scotland who leaves her books on top of mountains.

"I'm quite subtle though, I tend to just drop my books when I am walking. The best thing about it is when you find out that people have found your books.

"I've had books that have made it to Australia, America, Poland, France and the Netherlands. But, of course some of these books get stolen. The average rate for finding books I think is about one in ten, but mine is one in three."

When the bronze pigeons were installed in 1997, delicatessen Valvona and Crolla sponsored one of the original sculptures.

Proprietor Philip Contini said today: "The lovely cluster of pigeons are part of Elm Row.

"It's nice to see them in the news for the right reasons for a change. We're still offering a reward for our pigeon that was stolen - if they deliver it to me in person."

Bank worker Susan White, 31, of Cockenzie, East Lothian, spotted the pigeon's new reading material on her way into work in the city centre.

She said: "It looked really funny. It made me smile on the way into the office."

Local councillor Deidre Brock said: "I'm very fond of the pigeons and my kids love them too. They always make me smile when I walk past them. It's good to see them in the news for a positive reason." "I think it's very apt that something like this has happened in the world's first Unesco City of Literature."

The pigeons were designed by sculptor Shona Kinloch.