The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-19
WHETHER IT BE RAIN OR SHINE
The Wcathcr-Wisc Glow Worm or
the Busy bee Can Tell.

the Busy bee Can Tell.
Bees are excellent weather prophets.
| There is a common country say .ng that
"a bee was never caught in a shower.
! When rain is impending bees do not 20
! far afield, but they ply their labor in the
| immediate neighborhood OF their hives.
| This well authenticated fact is set forth
in the rhyme which tells us that
When bees to distance wing their fight,
| DAYS and SHES are bright;
| But when their fight ends near their home,
Stormy weather Is sure TO come.
Just before rain the homing bees may be
| observed entering the hive IN large num-
| bers, while none come out again. And,
again, when bees are seen vigorously at
work very early in the morning, unsettled
/ weather may be expected later in the
| day; the weather instincts of the little
creatures apparently leading them to make
up time in advance.
Wesps and hornets are said 10 have the
weather instinct over a still longer range.
The banks of streams are favorite nesting
places for these insects. If the nests in any
season are generally placed high up in the
bank II is always taken by country Poop e
! as a sign Of a wet season. the position of
the nests being taken in order TO avoid
floods. When the nests are near down to
the level Of the water, they foretell a dry
and warm season.
Ants too. are credited with an instinct
for the weather of a whole season When
they are observed at midsummer enlsrg ng
and Building up their dwellings, it is said
to be a sign of an early and cold winter.
The daily habits of the ant. however, yield
number of more reliable observations at
closer than a seasons range. For in
stance. when ants that have been located
in low ground are observed migrating to
higher, ii is sign OF heavy rains. The
entrances to their underground dwellings
are always worth noticing; for an open ant
hole means clear wea .er, and a closed one
means that storm Is approaching 1t is
also said that the direction from which
the prevailing rains Of the season will
come may be told from the position of the
entrances to ants nests. the opening being
made with the aspect that will be driest.
This is also said Of wasps' nests; and, since
the southwest is our wett-sl quarter. it TO-
lows that when many nests are found with
southwest aspect, the sason is likely to
be a dry one.
There is a wealth of weather wisdom to
be got from observation of spiders. These
insects cannot spin properly in a high
wind. Before a gale. they may be OBJ
served Strengthening their webs. The
shape of the web is also a valuable indi-
cation. When the frame lines are short
and stout the Insects instinct has told it
that wind and rain are coming; while
long and slender frame lines are very re-
liable sign of calm and fine weather The
duration of a storm can often be foretold
by observation Of spiders. II they remain
active during rain. you may be certain 1t
is only a shower and will very soon be
over. When, at the beginning of rain,
they retire into complete Incidence. the
sfrsE laI gill aT, o;v,i,-
last for some time. The time of day at
which spiders mend their nets is also
good weather sign.
II the mending is observed going on dur
ing a summer evening. there will be no
rain that night. \ curious observation,
but well authenticated is that when spi-
dars are seen in large numbers crawling
OIL walls instead of attending TO their nets.
wet weather is impending. The same ex-
pectation follows when they are seen fall
ing. without apparent reason. from their
webs In time of drought spiders are oft
en- the first creatures to give us a hint or
a change coming, for in a long dry period.
If closely woven and funnel-shaped webs
begin to be seen in sheltered positions
about the hedges, the drought is about to
break up.
Most people have observed gnats with a
view to foretelling the weather and are
Practice" puts it, "if gnats be seen to
hover together about the beams OF the sun
before It sets, and fly together, making, as
II were. the form of pillar. 1t is a sure
token OF fair weather" If the columns of
gnats sport up and down. ascending and
descending in the evenig sunshine 1t fore
tells heat. The higher the swarms are OBJ
served, the more settled is the weather
likely to be- When, however. the swarms
are seen sporting in the shade, and under
trees, you may expect rain; and il they
sting YiciOusly, you may be quite sure OF it,
The excessive chipping OF crickets is an
other insect sign Of rain. Glow worms,
too. are rain bringing. The more numer-
ously and brilliantly they shine the more
likely is wet weather; and it IS said that
rain is a certainty within twenty-four
hours II they are seen shining after mid
night instead of shutting off their light, as
usual, an hour OF two before y.
One Ct the most curious beliefs about an
insect as a weather prophet is concerned
with the larvae OF the cicada. commonly
known as the cuckoo spit This insect Is
| enveloped in white froth. If II lies in
/ the froth with its head upward the sum-
mer will be dry; if downward wet This
is said 10 be an infallible sign We are
content to mention the infallibility without
in any way guaranteeing it.