The Portland daily press., 1871-08-08

signs et the Weather.
From the time that Noah anxiously scan.
ned the heavens for the signs of the coming
flood, no subject has occupied greater place
in the attention of human race than the vea-
ther. Tie first remarks interchanged be-
tween strangers invariably relate to this time
honored topic, and it seems to form start
ing-point for all conversations. For the guild
ance of those who would lbe "weather.wise"
and able to read the signs OF the skies, we give
the most noticeable representations of com
ing changes, which we find in one of our con-
tempOraries:
Animated bodies receive peculiar impress
sions that precede and announce change of
weather. Thus we hear distant sounds bet
ter when there is going to be rain; we also
then see remote objects more distinctly, and
bad odors are more offensive than usual.
Swallows skim the ground in their flight; is
it that they may feed OIL worms that then
come out to the surface? Lizards hide. cats
make their toilet, birds oil their feathers, flies
bite more sharply, chickens scratch them
selves and roll in the dust, fish leap out of the
water, and aquatic birds flap their wings and
dabble in the ponds and brooks.
Nearly all the signs indicated announce
dampness in the air, rather thanthe approach
OF rain, for they are not seen when a storm
occurs in dry weather. Thus the swell
ling OF woodwork, which renders it difficult
to close doors made of soft timber, and the
contraction and tension of cordage made of
vegetable fibres, and counted among the signs
of atmospheric humidity. Rude hygrometers
have even been constructed of these fibres.
Certain flowers do not open at all in rainy
weather; Others, the Siberian thistle particu-
larry, remain open or shut according as the
weather is going to be rainy or dry.
Pallor OF the sun announces rain; it is seen,
at such times only, through an atmosphere
laden with vapors. If the heat be sitting,
that too is sign of rain; for one is then sur
rounded by an atmOs phere saturated with
vapor, and more readily heated, owing to its
lack of transparency. 1t the vapors be COL
lected in clouds, the suns rays that pass
through the latter heighten the temperature
more than they would have done in perfectly
clear weather; II the sun be clear and bril-
liant, IL f0reJeIIs nne uay; DuI wnen the SUI
is at its rising preceded by redness, and this
redness passes off the moment it does appear,
the sign is ofrain.
Two wiEds of opposite qualities succeeding
each other often bring rain. Thus cold
wind, entering an atmosphere impregnated
with moisture by the warm wind that preee-
ded it, will bring about precipitation of
water; and the same will be the case where a
damp, warm wind enters air that has been
chilled by the wind that had preceded it.
Generally, an approaching rain can be bet.
ter foreseen when the sky presents several
banks or layers OF clouds resting one above
the other. The winds that carry with them
detached masses of clouds yield bat light
rains.
Motionless clouds, lying in the quarter
whence the wind blows, bring only a con-
tinuance of that wind; but if they appear in
the opposite quarter, they announce its ter
minatiOn.
Clouds coming up simultaneously, yet i'm
PEELED by different winds, announce an early
storm.
Clouds accumulating on the sides OF noun
tairs foretell rain.
The following are the signs most familiar to
navigators and farmer:
A rosy sky at sunset, fine weather. A red
sky in the morning, bad weather or a great
deal of wind.
A gray sky in the morning, fine weather.
If the first light of dawn appears over bed
of clouds, wind may be looked for. If on the
horizon, fine weather.
Light clouds with imperfectly defined edges
announce fine weather and moderate breezes.
Thick clouds, with well-marked edges wind.
A deep, dark blue sky of sombre tinge indi-
Gates wind. The lighter the clouds look, the
less reason is there to anticipate wind. The
more dense, the more rolled together, twisted
and tattered they are, the stronger the wind
will be. A brilliant yellow sky at sunset an
nOunces wind; a pale yellow one, rain; Ac-
cOrdng to the predominance of red, yellow,
or grayish tints. we can foretell the condition
OF the weather with very close approxima-
ton to accuracy.
Small clouds of an inky color portend rain
Light clouds moving rapidly in the direction
opposite to dense masses, announce wind and
Iai1.
High clouds passing before the sun, the
moon, or the stars, in direction opposite to
that pursued by the lower beds OF clouds. or
of the wind felt at the surface of the soil, in
dicate change of wind.
After fine weather, the first signs of a
change are ordinarily high white clouds in
belts, or in light dappled and sombre masses.
Generally, the more remote and higher up
these clouds appear, the less abrupt the
change of weather will be, but it will be con-
Soft, light, delicate tints, with clouds of de-
cided shade, indicate or accompany fine
weather. Extraordinary tints and dense
clouds, with hard outlines, indicate rain, and
probably gale of wind.
Remark the clouds that form on hills and
| other elevated places, and cling there. II
they continue there, augment, or descend,
they indicate rain. II they, however, ascend
and disperse, they portend good weather.
When sea-birds fly away from land in the
morning, there will be fine weather and mod
crate Winds If they remain near the shore
| or fly inland, gales and storms may be expect
! ed. Many other animals are susceptible to
atmospheric changes, and these indications
| should not be neglected.
| Thus, when birds that usually fly in focks
swallows, for instance-keep near to theiI
nests, flying from one side to the other, and
skimming the ground, the sign is of rain or
wind. When domestic animals seek shelter
| ed places, when chimneys smoke, or when in
calm weather the smoke does not ascend
overhead, bad weather may be expected.
| When the sky is remarkably clear at the
horizon, and objects usually invisible are dis
| tinguishable from each other, or appear high
er up by refractlon, there will be rain, and
| perhaps wind.
| Extraordinary brilliancy of the stars, lacl
of distinctness, and apparent multiplication O
the horns OF the moon, halos and fragment.
OF rainbOws upon detached clouds, indicat,
that the wind will increase, and that ther,
will be rain.