Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-08-17
wEATHER.PRoPHET BIRDS.
How Gulls, Swans, and woodpeckers Fore
tell Weather Changes.


HOW G0u6, swans, and WOOdpeCkorS Force
tell Weather Changes.
[London News.l
In Hampshire swans are believed to
be Matched in thunderstorms, and it is
said that those on the Thames have an
instructive prescience of floods. Before
heavy rains they raise their nests. This
is characteristic of many birds, which
add piles of material to their nests to
prevent swapping. When rocks fly
nigh and seem to initiate birds Of prey
by soaring, swooping, and falling, it is
almost a certain sign of coming storm.
Staying in the vicinity of the rookery,
returning at midday, or coming to
omens to the like effect. Various
proverbs would seem to indicate that
the cry of the owl, if heard in bad
weather, foretells a change.
The constant iteration of the green
woodpecker's cry before storm has
given it the names Of rain bird, rain pie,
and rain fowl. Stormcock is a pro-
vincial name shared by this bird and
the misselthrush, the latter often sing
ing through gales of wind and rain.
Storm bird also is applied to the field
fare. The adherence in which mar
liners hold the swallow-like storm petrol
is we'll known; its appearance is be-
lieved to denote wild weather. This
little bird is the Mother Carey's chicken
of sailors and is also called storm finch
and water witch. Herons, says an old
author, flying up and down in the even
ing, as if doubtful where to rest, "pre-
sage some evil approaching weather
q legend us old as Virgil, though prob
ably devoid of foundation.
Concerning gulls in general, children
who live by the sea say, "Seagull, sea-
gull, sit on the sand, it's never good
weather while you're on the land;" and
fisher folk know that when the seamews
fly out early and far to seward fair
weather may be expected. To Scotch
shepherds the drumming Of the snipe
indicates dry weather and frost at night,
and Gilbert White remarks that wood
cocks have been observed to be remark
ably lstless against snowy, foul weather;
while, according to another author, their
early arrival and continued abode "fore-
tells q liberal harvest. In Wiltshire
the coming Of the dotterel betokens
frost and snow, and there is proverb
that the moving Of the bittern will be
followed by rain OF worse. In Moray
shire, when the wild geese go out to
sea, they say the weather will be fine;
but if toward the hill, stormy.
The saw-like note Of the great tit
mouse is said to foretell rain; that of the
bluetit cold. In the South Of France
so much store is set by the wisdom Of
the magpie that if it builds its nest on
the summit Of a tree the country folk
expect season of calm; but if lower
down, winds and tempests are sure to
follow. When a jackdaw is seen to
stand on one of the vanes OF the ca
thedral tower, at Wells, it is said that
rain is sure to follow within twenty -fo,lr
hours. Wells must be wet place! In
Germany, jewellers in the country lack
faith in the skylark's song as announcing
fine weather; but when the lark and the
cuckoo sing together they know that
summer has come. The robin, buzzard,
lapwing, startling, and number of other
birds are said to foretel weather
changes; we have noticed that in nearly
all the species named the various cries
and calls are closely connected with the
birds food supply.