Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1890-09-03
WEArHsR PROVERBS.
What tho Little Birds Tell While Nesting
! and on the Wing.

tics is well aware. Not only have the4light
and general action Of birds been noted by
all civilized nations, saws the Savannah
(Ga.) News, but among barbarous tribes in
this and other lands the migratory habits
Of the feathered tribe have discounted prog.
nosties OF Government signal bureaus
Wind, rain and ether atmospheric changes
are predicted by those who narrowly watch
the migration Of birds, and sailors in par
ticular, who are close observers of the
heavens above, the atmosphere around them
nad tho waters hcneath Them, haso their
progaoetes on all the peculiar phases Of
land, water and Sky and the clements OF life
which people them.
Among the birds which serve 70 guide the
sailors to leolz out for squalls, the sailor ex-
pects wind when the eormorants fly land
ward. Ii the gull scars to lofty heights
and, circling round, utters shril cries, a
is approaching. IL the parrets whs-
tle on shlpboard it viii rain. Ii they dress
their feathers aad are wakefuI it will
storm the next day. Ii the pemels gather
under the stern of q ship bed weather viii
follow. The stormy petrol surely betolens
stormy weather, ana no sooner do they
gather in numbers under The wake Of IA ship
titan sailors prepare to meet an impending
tempest.
Hunters are close observers OF the habits
of birds, and many prognostcs are learned
from the vocabulary OF an experienced
hunter who will stay in doors in the morn
ing when an amateur hunter will be tempted
out by clear Sky, TO come back in the rain,
or will find that moderate temperature in
the morning is no sure precursor OF "a warm
day. Among the prognostics tire hunter
draws from birds few will suiAee
II b..ds in the autumn grow tame,
The y Nor VIII be too eaid for gane.
Bats flying late in the evening indicate
fair weather, but il they squeak flying it viii
rain op the following day. a solitary buz-
card at Il great altitude Indicates rain, but
ii buzzurds fly high together it vlll be fair
weather II chickens crow before sundown
it will rain the next day II they run to
shelter it will not rain long. If they come
Off tho roost at night rain will soon follow.
The Zuni Indian hunters say that when
chimney swallows circle and call they speak
Of ram, and indians predict a deep fail of
snow when grouse drum at night. nunters
and iishermon have saying that 'sthere
viii be no rain the day the crane flies down.
the crcoll.' One crow flying along is a
sign Of foul weather, but if crows fly in
pairs the weather will be fine. If crows
make much noise and fly in circle rain Is
expected. II the cuckoo halloos in low
land 1t will rain, if on high land it will be
fair. Domestic fowl look toward the sky
before ram and go to roost in the daytime.
Ii they stand II one leg the weather will
be cold II birds are fat and sleek in Feb
rualy it is sign of more cold weather. If
geese walk east and fly west 1t will be cold.
An Old proverb says: "When the hen
crows, expect storm within and without
and hunters say that the direction the loon
flies IN the morning will be the direction Of
the wind tho next day. Owls hootng in the
daytime indicates rain, but if at night the
weather will be fair
Wien the peacock loudly bawls
Soon we'li have both ram aad SQUALLS.
Pigeons return to their doyecotes unlsu-
ally early before a rain. The habits of wild
geese are watched, and furnish many prog
nostics The following is q popular verso:
Wild geese, W Id geese, going to the sea
Good weather it will be;
w id geese, wild geese going to the hill
The weather it will spin,
In Kansas, when wild geese fly to the
southeast n the fall, the people expect
blizzard.
There are many prognosties of the season
which have :heir origin in the migrations of
| birds, and in the peculi II formation and ap-
pearance Of the goose bone, which is to-day
looked upon by thousands of people as a
sure prognost.e OF what the coming winter
viii lie, and in Kentucky, il the issue should
/ DO raised whether the Signal Service Bu-
reaa or the goose bone should go, the Ken.
tuc.llan would ding to the goose bone; in
/ fact .leury Wattarson, if he had to choose
between tho star eyed goddess of reform
and the goose bono, would not dare to of.
| fend l@eatucki rs by discarding Tho pro-
phetic bone. he people of Kentucky say
il tho breast bone of u goose is red, or has
many red spots, expect q cold and stormy
winter, but if only a few spcts are visible,
the winter will be mild, and they furnish
the following recipe so that it may be read
mtelligently, which instructions are as fol-
lows:
'To read the winter Of any year take the
brelst bone Of goose hatched during the
preceding spring. The bone is translu-
cent, and it viii DO found to be colored and
sp5otel. The dark color and heavy spots
Indicate cold If the spots are of light shade
and transparent, wet weather, rain or snow
may be looked forn
When wild geese and wild ducks move
south the weather will be cold, if north,
the weather will be warm, and the birds
migrate south much earlier If the wntor
will be early. A severe winter fellows If
crows fly south but if they fly north twill
be an open winter. No killing frost comes
when the martins turn to their old haunts,
and tho first song Of the robin is the voice
Of spring. The swan is said to build its nest
/ high during seasons when freshets visit the
localities where the swan broods, and those
who cultivate low lands note how tho
swans nest Is built If it is built low there
/ will be no unusual rains. There are many
other prognostics derived from observing