The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-05
SIGNS OF AN EARLY SPRING.
Wild Geese, Skunk CabbaEes, BulifroEs and
Porpoises All Agree ne to This.

Wild Geese, Skunk CabbaEes, BulifroEs and
Porpoises All Agree ne to This.
HARTFORD. Conn, March A.-There are many
indications In Connecticut Of q remarkably
early spring. For instance:
A large flock OF bluebirds has already estab-
lishod itself In the cedar thlokets among the
snowclad hills OF Ba~rkhamsted on the Farm
inRton River.
In Niantic the children Of the public school
surprised their teacher the other day by Civ
ing him large branches OF pussy Willows.
Horace johnson. the Middle Haddam wealth
or prophet. who frequently secs big storms
and turbulent times In store for humanity. has
written a letter .saying that before long will
come unusually fine days for the season.
lnF Fl norsh w eSsf s q T',a sG sSS R %Ss.h sf TIll az e.
most daily since the blizzard. More than 300
geese were counted dying over Pendleton Hill
regards this as an infallible sign Of the early
advent Of spring.
the neishborSood Sd0T Dsnieiso as' and '4 Putnam NJ
s sion fis IS snlS b 5Sutdh' s fpep i9SSecs snsdisns, T hso a TO-
PLACES. to indicate the prompt appearance Of
%spring; The cawinR crow sign. It Is said. Is
II New Haven the fatish. have be.n run
hing F1sr tS SI1n ios the vss shores s.d fully nls s three week sso ear,
that this fact contra die n The %Sroundho Ss thso.
ry Of six weeks more OF cold. and that, warm
spring weather always follows quickly the
movement OF the fiat1sh from their winter
bed; Large catches OF the fish. are made.
A Stafford Springs green bullfroRs have al.
ready been seen spraying about the banks "
open spring holes and the green cones OF the
skunk cabbage. about the earliest OF Connect
icut's vegetation. made their appearance al
most simultaneously with the frogs. Can't.
Henry Burdette. a village weather oracle. says
thet you cant fool the frog and the skunk
ingly near at hand.
Even. over in bleak Litchfeld county the
robins have beeL flying about for several days
and the sugar. maple sap huntars find the flow
Of sap so free that 1t will room be checked by
the progEessing warm weather.
into the king row with the banner story con-
frminR the onward march Of spring. While
he was spearing cells from q boat In tho water
fronting his house his boat was run into and
nearly upset by q largo porpotse. which had
darted into the shoal waters OF the bay and. be-
yhere Capt. .Bagley. killed it with an oar.
BaRley. who Is an old saltwater fisherman.
saws that as an omen OF. the coming OF balmy
spring the porpoise cannot be beaten and that
1t never makes its appearance In northern
waters until warm weather Is near. He says
that these surface breathing swimmers. like
the sperm whale. start ,northward In schools
Thomas Scott OF New London, the veteran
wrecker. sighted a school OF twenty sperm
whales in the Race the other day. and that ia
regarded as additional proof. II any were
needed. of the coming OF spring on the heels
OF winter. r..
One reason why unusual importance is at.
tached to all signs OF an approaching warmer
season this year Is that the people have SUI
fered q distressinRly severe winter. which be-
gan promptly and has fingered late.