The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-02-10
OMENs OF VEAL on WOE.
Sure Things in PrOgnOstics OF the
SuperstitiOus.
From the Washington Post.


From the Washington Post.
Year dem chickens CROWN fer clear
weather." said one of the colored Inest
to a Post man, who was scouting in a
suburban precinct the other evening.
Shore sign" said the dusky officer. in
reply to a smile that the dripping sky
had provoked in the face of the omen.
That set the newspaper man to think
ing as to the number Of signs" and su-
perstitions that still prevail here in Wash
ington, some Of them distorted remnants
of folk lore from all quarters of the
globe, moulded to fit their present sur
roundings, and others with more basis in
reason and less in superstition, being
drawn from the phenomena of nature,
by which the earlier inhabitants used
to forecast weather, crops, and other
things, before the creation of the weather
bureau and the crop bulletin.
A mere list of these signs that are cur
rent to-day among large part of Wash
ington's population, though not by any
means confined to this locality may be
interesting.
As the colored policeman said, chickens
a
weather. Something on the principle of
the old Dutch weather breeders" the
fair days that were certain to be fol-
lowed by a storm.
The cat washing its face on the door
step foretells rain, and the tree frog
singing in the trees in the evening ~-ll
bode a shower before morning. During
a drought in summer, to kill a frog or
snake produces rain. One reason for this
-csrr
of summer both snakes and frogs make
themselves scarce so that It is a tolerably
safe prediction
During a severe summer drought 1t is
not an uncommon thing to find dead
snakes hung across the fences over on
the Virginia side Of the river as an offer
ing to the rain spirit. The Egyptians had
a similar sacrifice to Typhon.
The locusts singing at dawn on a sum
naer morning are said TO be calling, "Hea-,
heat, heat" which their notes does not
sound unlike. Three white frosts bring
a rain" is confidently believed by many,
and another rain omen, probably brought
over from England. is that If II rains the
first Sunday after Easter, it will rain for
seven successive Sundays. Also there is
never Saturday in the year when the
sun does not show its face.
The superstition of the wet and dry
moon is current with the negroes, and is
SAID to have existed among the Indians
of the Potomac basin. 1t is that the cres-
cent floating on its back forebodes a
dry month, but if tipped up on end it
will be wet, as the water can then run
out.
Everything is lovely when the goose
hangs high" is said to be corruption
of when the goose honks high" mean
ing there will be clear weather when the
geese lv high on Winters morning
Geese and crows flying south early IN the
fall forebode a cold winter, and the farm
ers Of the region foretell the severity Of
the coming season by the depth to which
the sngle worms burrow in the ground.
The first rain in the spring. after which
the argyle worms come to the surface.
shows that the winter is over for good.
and there viii be no more frost Like
wise the snakes, which sleep ali through
the winter, are walked up by the first
thunder Of the season. The catbird calls
SNAKE, snake" in the bushes when the
reptiles are out robb.ng birds nests.
Rain before z, clear before H." is
said to be infalllble, and there are other
BITS of doggerel, most of them brought
over from the mother country. which bear
on the same subject. Rainbow in the
morning IS the shepherds warning; rain
bow at night is the shepherds delight"
Evening red and morning gray
Lights the traveller on his way.
Evening gray end morning red
Brings down storms upon his head
There would seem TO be some ground for
this, for q red sunset often foretells a
foul day.
There is one superstition. # such It
rray be called, which is peculiarly local
70 Georgetown It is that to hear the