The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-06-20
ANIMALS AS BAROMETERS
THE RELIABLE PREDICTIONS OF
FOWLS AND BEASTS.
How Tempest and Sunshine are Fore
told by Cats, Dogs, TOads, Geese.
Fish, SnniIs. Cattle and S.nats.

uOgS, horses, geese, fishes, ants, gnats,
asses, BIRDS swallows, crows, cattle, all
will predict the weathe. if you under
stand their language. In a large glass jar
that sat in a window sill of an Eighth
street residence an Enquirer man saw a
small ladder, not over foot long,
reaching to the top, and two tree-toads
frisking about in the water which about
half filled the jar. An old German,
specialized and dressed in a long double
gown, was eagerly watching the motions
of the batrachians. "Those are queer
pets, DOCTOR remarked the scribe.
'Pets They are not pets. They are
my barometers. They tell me with &C
curacy when the weather is to be fair or
foul. If dry weather is coming on they
climb the ladder away out of the water;
but if it is going to rain, then down they
go into the water" "Dut what do they
have to eat ?" asked the visitor, observ-
ing nothing edible in their improvised
cage.
You should see them 90 for flies, q"
said the doctor at the same moment toss
ing one into the water 1t was snapped
up by one of the tree toads with the ra-
pidity of lightning. "That will keep
the toad alive for a week, but each of
them will eat ten to twelve a day if any
one would catch them for them"
ga cheap barometer, if it only tells
the truth"
Nothing better sir. There are few
animals that do not have the instinct. or
knowledge if you will, to predict either
q storm or fair weather." have given
the subject much study, and find my OBJ
servations are in accord with many old
sayings and proverbs relating to weather
wise animals. There's the snail. l do
not know of any surer way of predict
ing the changes in the weather than by
observing their habits closely. They do
not drink, but imbibe moisture during a
rain and exude it afterward This ami
NAL is never seen abroad, except before
a rain, when you will see it climbing the
bark of trees and getting on the leaves
The tree snail, as it is called. two days
before rain will climb up the stems of
plants, and if the rain is going to be a
hard and long one then they get on the
sheltered side of leaf, but if a short
rain on the outside. Then there are
other species that before rain are vel
low; after it blue. Others indi-
cate rain by holes and protuber-
ances, which before raise lis. as large
tubercles. These will begin to show
themselves ten days before a rain. At
the end of each tubercle is pore, which
opens when the rain comes to absorb and
draw in the moisture. In other snails
deep indentations, beginning at the head
between the horns, and ending with the
jointure at the tail, appear few days
before storm.
Then there are other animals who
are good weather profits. The old adage
avs:
"'When that the ass begins to bray,
Be sure we shall have rain that day.
"And there is another one equally en-
phatic, which every haymaker knows:
Be sure to cock your hay and corn
When the old donkey blows his horn"
eyes, sir; nearly all animals have some
way of telling the weather in advance"
us it instinct, or do they perceive APP
proaching signs more keenly than
peopieF
that the altered condition of the atmos-
phere with regard to electricity, which
generally accompanies change of weather,
makes them feel disagreeable or pleasant.
The fact that the cat ticks herself before
a storm is urged by some naturalists as
proof of the special influence of electric
ity. Man is not so sensitive. Yet many
people feel listless before storm, to say
nothing of aggravated headaches, tooth
aches, rheumatic pains, and last, but not
least, corns."
'Birds ought to be good weather prog
nosticators, then, for they can not be
insensible to air currents and the differ
ent climates of the atmospheric"
'Most assuredly they are the very best.
Every farmer knows when swallows f1v
low that rain is coming; sailors, when
the sea-gulls fly toward the land: whCn
the stormy petrol appears, or Mother
Carey's chickens, as they are called, PIC
dict foul weather.
Take the ants. Have you never no.
ticed the activity they display before
storm, hurry scurry, rushing hither and
yon, as if they were letter-carriers making
six trips day, or expressmen behind
timer Dogs grow sleepy and dull, and
like to lie before fire as rain approaches;
chickens pick up pebbles, fowls roll in
the dust flies sting and bite more
viciously, frogs croak more DANGEROUSLY,
gnats assemble under trees and horses
display restessness."
GLOW do you tell fair weather."
"Beetes flying late in the evening
foretclls fine day on the morrow; bats
fitting about late in the evening in spring
or autumn butterflies appearing early;
cranes flying high; fishes when they swim
low and won't bite. Hogs when they
run squeaking about and jerk up their
heads see a wind coming, hence the
DrOVerb, "Pios can see the wind -
care any other animals weatherwise?"
81 would like to k.ow what animals
are not, if man had only the patience to
watch and observe them. When you see
a swan flying against the wind spiders
crowding On a wall, toads coming out of
their holes in unusual numbers of an
evening, worms, slugs and snails appear
ing, robin redbreasts pecking at our win
dows, pigeons coming to the dove-cote
earlier than usual, peacocks squalling at
MIC IL, L.