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Show Wa Wa ' Signs or Prognoftications of Rainy Weather. WE and fnuff in the Air againft Rain. Sheep will rife carly ina Morning to feed againtt Rain Alfo Fifbes, either Sea or River-Fifh do The Lord Bacon fays, That Water-Fowls, often, by their playing towards the Top of fuch as Sea-Guills, Moor-Hens, &c. when they the Waters, foretel Raiv. For this, the Lord flock and fly together from the Sea towards Bacongives this Reafon, That when the eq. the Shore, foretel Rain and Wind. ther is dry, the Fifh love to keep as muchas And onthe other hand, when Land-Birds, they can from the Air, and fwim lower, and fach asCrows, Swallows, &c. fly from Land will not comenear the Air till it is moift, Infetis and Reptiles do alfo give Prognotticks to the Waters, and beat the Waters with their Wings, it betokens Rain and Wind. of Rain. : ‘The natural Reafon of that feems to be, the Ants quit their Labour, and hide themfelyes Pleafure that both Land and Water-Fow! take in the Ground againft Rain: Forthefeproviin the Moiftnefs and Denfity of the Air, and dent Infecis, by a fecret Inftiné in Nature, to love to be in Motion and upon the Wing. carry their Eggs to a Place of drier Security, It is no ftrange ‘Thing, that Water-Fowls whenthey find the Air chang’d into Moiftnefs, delight in that Air which is moft like Water, and cloge’d with Vapours. their natural Element; and that Land-Fowl Bees, when Rainis coming on, do not ftir alfo (many ofthem) delight in Bathing, and from their Hives, or at leaft not far, moift Air. Fleas bite more againft Rain, and Flies are And alfo for the fame Reafon, manyBirds very troublefome, often dafhing againft Perprune their Feathers ; Geefe gaggle, and the fon’s Faces. Crows call for Rain: All which feems to be but the Pleafure they take in the Relaxation ofthe Air. The Heron, which is a Water-Fowl, delights in a condens’d Air: And befides, being a Fowl of a heavy Wing, requires the Affiftance of the groffer Air; and therefore where the Airis grofs, and thickens into Showers, fhe flies low. When Crows flock together in large Flights, and hold their Heads upwards as they fly, and cry louder than they ufually do, it is a Sign of Rain; and when they walk ftalking by Rivers and Ponds, it is the fame. When Swallows chatter and fly low about Lakes and Ponds, (which they do, in order to catch Flies; for the Air being cloge’d with Vapours, hinders the Flies from afcending) it befpeaks Rain. WhenPeacocks cry much ; when Birds that ufually perch upon Trees, fly to their Nefts ; when Fowls pick up their Feathers with their Bills ; when Cocks crow before their ufual Hour, and Hens creep in Clufters into the Dutt, theyare Signs of rainy Weather. Not only Birds, but Beafts do give Notice of Rain, as Sheep, when they leap mightily, and pufh at one another with their Heads, it denoves Rain. When Affes bray or fhake their Ears, or are annoy’d with Flies; when Deers fight ; when Foxes and Wolves howl mightily; when Hogs at Play break or featter their Food; and Oxen that are ty’d together, raife their Heads, and lick their Snouts, it is a Sign of Rain, When Cattle leave off feeding, and make Hafte to fhelter under Bufhes and Hedges, &c. when Cats rub their Heads with their Fore-paws (efpecially that Part of their Heads which is above their Ears) and lick their Bodies with their Tongues, it is a Sign of Rain. it Beajis do generally delight in a moift Air, and it caufes them to eat their-Meat the better. Cattie, Deer and Rabbets will feed heartily before Rain. Heifers will put up their Nofés, Moles will caft up more Earth; and Earthworms will creep out of the Ground againft Rain. Even the Bodies of Men and Women give Tokens of Rain or Fro/?, by Aches, Corns and Wounds, which -will be more troublefome againft fuch Seafons: For Raix makes the Humours of the Body to abound more, and Froft makes them fharper. Mr. Ozanam fays, That the very Body of Animals and Vegetables, is (as it were) a exture of Barometers, Hygrometers and meters, for the Humours with which organiz’d Bodies are replenifhed, increafe or decreafe, according to the different Difpofitions of the Air. Prognofticks of the Weather from Vegetables. Mr. Pointer tells us, He has obferv’d, that many, if not moft Vegetables do expand their Flowers and Downin Sun-thiny Weather, and towards the Evening, and againft Rain, clofe them again, efpecially at the Beginning of their Flowering, when their Leaves are young and tender. ' This is evident in the Down of Dandelion and other Downs, andevidently in the Flowers of Pimpernel, the Opening and Shutting of which Che fays) are the Countryman’s Weatberwifer. And Mr. Gerard fays, if the Flowers be clofe fhut, it betokens Rain and Foul-weather; but if they be fpread abroad, Fuir-z The Lord Baconfays, Tre Stalk againft Rain, and fo right; for by Wet, Stalks do erect, and Lea bow down: And Piiy fays much to the fame Purpofe, : 1 The former fays likewife, That there is in the Stubble-Fields a {mall red Flower, w hich Country People call the #77: phich if it opens in the Morning, you may be fure of 4 fair Dayto follow. Mr. Ozanam gives as a natural Reafon for this, that Plants are a fort of natur ters, which are compos’d ofan ir ne WE ber of Fibres, Zrachee or Ait-Veffels, which biuifo Circle inclining to White, the Air is grofs are like fo many Canals or Pipes, thro’ which and condens’d, and Rain will foon fall. of the Earth, -is conveyedinto all its Parts. the Sky is ofa dusky Red in the Morning, it will foon be overcaft, and there muft quickly Scabious or the Vine ; if you pull afunder fome Alfo if the Sun rifés of a mify, muddy Colour, or in a black Cloud, and diffutes his the Moifture of the Air, as well as the Juice Andif when the Suu rifes, he is pale, and Thefe Zrachee or Air-Veflels are vifible, and appear very pretty in the Leaf of the follow Rain, attended with w hisking Winds. of its principal Ribs, you may fee between them the Spiral Air-Veflels (like Threads or Cobwebs) a little uncoil’d. Signs of Rainy Weather by folid Bodies. Rayspalifo towards the North and South, it foretels Rain. It has been an Obfervation, That if the Sum {ets under a thick Cloud, Rain will fall the next Day ; or if it rains immediately, there The hardeft and moft folid Wood will fwell will be a great deal of: Wind the next Day: by the Moifture of the Air: This is evident And this is almoft the conftant Confequence of by the Difficulty of fhutting Doors and Win- a pale fetting Sun. dows in wet Weather, and Boxes, efpecially of Tho’ a red Skyat the Suu-rifing is a Signof Deal ; and Pegs of Wood, when they draw and Rain, yet a red Sky, when the Sunfets, is a wind hard, are Signs of wet Weather : And this Sign of fair Weather : Tho’, indeed, if the Sky is caufed by the Admiffion of the Air through be red at a great Diftance, from the Part the Pores of the Wood. where the Sum fets, as in the Ea/?, there will Mr. Ozanam fays, The moift Vapours do be either Rain or Wind the next Day. readily infinuate into Wood, efpecially that Asto the Moov. A pale Moon is a Forewhich is light and dry, it being extreamly runner of Rain; a red one of Wind, anda porous ; fo that they are fometimes made ufe clear one of fine Weather. ofin dilating and breaking the hardeft Bodies, ” Whenthe Moox is encompafs'd with a very and inparticular AMi//-fones : For when they large Circle, or is dim and mifty, then there have cut a Rock into a Cylinder, they divide will follow Wind, Rain or Snow very quickly, that into feveral leffer Cylinder’s, by making probably within twenty-four Hours. feveral ‘Holes round the great Cylinder, at If the Horns of the Moowat her firft Rifing, proportional Diftances, according to the or within two or three Days after her Change, Thickneffes they defign the Mili-/tones, and are blunt, it betokens rainy Weather for that thenfill them with as many Pieces of Sallow- Quarter, but feafonable Weather the other wood dry’d in an Oven; for when the wet Quarter. Weather comes, thefe Wedges or Pieces of An Iris round the Moonis alfo a Sign of Wood become fo impregnated with the moift Rain, with a South Wind. Corpufcles of the Air, that they fwell and Two or three difcontinued and fpeckled break, or feparate the cylindrical Rock into Circles or Rings round the Moon befpeak a feveral Stones. Storm. And Stones, efpecially Marble, will fweat Signs of Rainy Weather by the Stars. againft wet eather, though it be but from an outward Caufe, in that the Stones are fo hard Whenthe Stars feem bigger than ufual, pale, and folid, as not to admit the Moifture of the dull, and do not twinkle, it isa Sign that the Air, and therefore it only lies upon the Super- Air is condenfing to Rain, that will {oonfall. ficies of the Stones. When in Summer-time the Stars appear And the Humidity of the Air infinuatesitfelf brighter and more blazing than ordinary, it into the hardeft Bodies, which are not deftitute befpeaks great Winds and Rain. of Pores, and efpecially into light Bodies that When many Stars appear in the Night, and take up a great Space. feem more numerous than ufual, and in Summer-time the Wind be ELa/?, it denotes fudden Sigus of Rainy Weather from the Planets Rain. andStars. Bythe Suz. Ifthe Su, at his Rifing, looks ved, and broader than ufuai, then many moift Vapours are gathering from the Sea, and the Air is thickening, and the Beams of the Sun Signs of Rainy Weather from the Clouds. Ifin an Evening there appear many {iall Clouds from the Weft, it fhews that Rain is gathering, and will foonfall. being diffus’d in it, caufes the Sun’s Face to When Clouds appear like Rocks or Towers, thew a great deal bigger thanis ufual ; and, in they fignify great Showers. a fhort Time, you will perceive the Clouds * Mr. Ozanamfays, That whenwe fee little, muttering and over-fpreading the Heavens, and black, loofe Clouds, wandering to and fro, the Air condenfing into a watery Body. lower than the reft, we apprehend a future Ifthis happens in Swimmer or Autumn, when Storm ; and whenat the rifing of the Sun fethe Weather is hot, the Showers that fall will veral Clouds are feen to gather in the We}; be violent, but of fhort Continuance ; but if and on the other hand, if thefe Clouds difperfe, this happens in the Winter or Spring, it denotes it befpeaks fair Weather. fettled Rains, but more moderate. Whenthe Sun through the Clouds appears It has been an Obfervation, confirm’d by double or triple, it fhews a Storm oflong long Experience, That if the Sunrifes with a Duration. 9M Signs |
