Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-09-30
Hark / hear tho asses bray;
We shall have some rain to-day.


If toads come out of their holes in great
numbers, rain will soon fall.
If gIOw-worms shine much, 1t will rain.
Expect rain when cattle low and gaze
at the sky.
Horses and mules very lively without
apparent cause, indicates cold.
The domestic dog and cat have been
studied carefully by anxious weather
prophets, and tabby, especially, has ac-
quired a reputation for being weather
wise BY a repetition OF some of the
saws, il will be seen that most Of her nat
ural actions are held to deep meaning.
Ii the cat sneezes or shores or washes her
head behind her ears, or scratches her
self, or lies on her head With her mouth
turned up, or sits with her tail to the fire,
bad weather will certainly follow. Such
a dangerous animal Is the cat that many
sailors will not allow her on board yes
sci. Only when cats wash themselves in
"A natural manner fair weather follows.
The dog is not so pOrtent0us. But ii he
digs deep holes in the ground eats grass
or refuses meat or bowls when some one
leaves the house, rain is Indicated Every
reader OF Quentin DUrward" remem-
bers how the old King LOUIS NJ. found
the signs given by an old donkey more
reliable than the well planned prOgnostics
Of the astrOloger.
When much noise is made by rats and
mice rain is indicated.
Bird prophecies are many, and can be
studied and verified during the next sea
son.
Everything is lovely and the goose
hawks high mot "hangs high" as is usually
stated. Rain will come when domestic
fowl look toward the sky, when they roost
in the daytime, when they make an I'M
usual noise.
First robins indicate the approach of
spring, and denote rain by loud and long
singing.
Birds singing during rain indicate fair
weather.
Swallows are thought to bring signs,
such as when the swallow flies low or cir
cles, expect rain.
When the swallows nest is high
The summer is very dry;
When the swallow buildeth low
You may safely reap and sow.
Wild geese are also useful weather
birds.
Wild geese, wild geese, going to the sea,
Good weather II viii be;
Wild geese, wild geese going 10 the hill,
The weather II Will spill.
Ants, bees, butterflies. crickets, spiders
and other insects have been studied oare-
fully In order to satisfy the soothsayers of
the weather.
House flies coming into the house in
great numbers indicates rain.
When spiders webs in air do fly
The spell will soon be very dry.
But on those occasions. when signs
need verificatiOn, the rightly constituted
man Of the weather can study his own
prognostics and compute probabilities
from his own sensations. ToOthache is
often forerunner of some change of
weather, rheumatic pains are climatic,
and pains In the corns or headaches are
disagreeable fOrerunners OF storm.
Ringing In the ear at night sometimes
indicates change OF wind, and the
influence OF the weather In epizOotics is
noticeable, but not fully distinguished,
The many signs taken from mans sur
roundings indicate his ingenuity and his
perseverance in gathering together all
possible data. Each season has its signs,
many, no doubt, contradictory. In May
we find:
Many thunder storms in May.
And the farmer sings hey hey
Hoar frost on the first Of May indicates
a good harvest.
Water in May is bread all the year.
A swarm Of bees in May is worth load of
hay;
But swarm in July amt worth fly.
cold May and winde
Makes full barns and hndy.
Every part Of the country has its own
needs in weather proverbs, and certainly
from the great store which has been
brought down from the ancestors farmers
in all regions will be able TO take their
choice. The day is past when book
ON farming includes chapter or two on
the weather in the Nirglian manner, but
with our science we still have room for
speculation, and one OF the most interest
ing methods Of studying the weather
is to verify observations by new discov.
cries. With a thorough knowledge OF
prognostics and of the rules of the isolars
the weather question would not be exas-