Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1892-09-21
The feathered forecasters have given

The feathered forecasters have given
rise to the following:
If peacocks and guinea fowls scream
AID turkeys gobble, and if quails make
more noise than usual, rain.
If sea birds fly toward land and land
birds toward the sea, rain.
If the cock crows more than usual
and earlier, expect rain.
If swallows fly lower than usual, ex-
pect rain.
If bats hUtter and beetles fly about,
there will be fine weather.
If birds III general pick theft feathers,
wash themselves, and fly to their nests,
rain.
Some of the queerest miscellaneous
Quips received are to the effect that:
If there are no falling stars to be seen
on bright summers evening you may
look for fine weather.
If there be many falling stars on n
clear evening in the summer there will
be thunder.
A rainbow in the morning is the
shepherds warning.
1t the marigolds continue shut after
o'clock in the evening, expect rain.
If fish bite more readily and gambol
near the surface of ponds and streams,
then look out for rain.
If porpoises and whales sport about
ships, expect hurricane.
The moon, of course, is the subject of
many of the best weather predictions
Great confidence is placed in the old
prognostic:
saw the new moon late yestreen
WI the old moon in her arm,
And if we're going to sea, master,
l fear Well come to harm.
1t is also said of the moon that eff the
new moon appears with the points of the
crescent turned up the month will be
dry. If the points are turned down, it
will be Wet"
One weather poet puts the case of tho
moon thus:
When first the moon appears, if then she
Her silver crescent, tipped with sable clouds,
Conclude she bodies u tempest on the main,
And brews for fields impetuous floods of rain,
Or, if her face with fiery hushings glow,
Expect the rafting wind aloft to blow.
But four lights old (for that is the best sign.
With sharpened horns, II glorious then she
shine,
Next day not only that but all the moon,
Till her revolving race he wholly run.
Are void of tempests both by land and sea.
A good many old housewives still re-
main their own weather prophets, and
as a consequence one of the most popu-
lar of familiar weather sayings is
when rheumatic people complain of
more tudu OTOludTN pdluS Ill bu0lT
Joints, it will rain" Another home
made barometer is the tender corn or
sensitive tooth, whose connection with
the weather has been ably stated thus:
A coming storm your shooting corns presage,
And aches will throb, your hollow tooth will
rage.
Mr.. Dey, when questioned yesterday
regarding the book to be gotten out,
said This is the first book the bureau
has gotten out on this subject for ten
years. 1t is now intended, If possible,
to supplement- the book gotten out tb en-.
1t must be distinctly understood that
the government forecasts are not based
on any such thing as weather proverbs.
These proverbs are for the most part q
matter of curious information, although
portion of them are really based on
true meteorological conditions, and
these, if gotten together, may be of
some service to observers of the
weather where instrument and chart
are not at hand, such as farmers and
sailors, who have no means of studying
| more scientific method OF forecast"
MIR. Dey says that in foreign countries
q good deal more account is made by
| the weather authorities of these popu-
lar sayings, and that some few of such
| representations would really be of
material help in cases of doubtful and
T1npprfqin conditions