The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-01-19

respond TO atmospheric changes, ana
aches and nervousness may be laid to
the charge of that decreasing atmos-
pheric pressure that precedes a storm.
So are animals restless when the ba-
rometer falls. And wild animals, Of
course, are far more sensitive to wealth
err influences than is man, the house
dweller.
Weather means so much to animals
and birds. To the lions and tigers,
storm might mean the loss of a meal;
to birds, it might mean washed out, rll-
ined nests, if they were absent when
the storm broke. To insects a storm OF
few minutes duration might mean a
sudden ending of their little lives. So
nature gives warning to her creatures,
through some unknown sense, SO that
the lion may eat more heartily before
the storm that may rob him OF food, so
that the birds may sit securely on their
nests when the sudden floods descend,
and so that the wise bees may stay at
home and the dragon flies may save
their delicate wings from destruction.
But so far as one can observe, no an
imals forecast the weather more than
few hours ahead. Their actions are
governed by present conditions. When
wheat-ears fly to shelter before the
storm 1t is because the sky has become,
covered with clouds, and clouds indi-
cate storms, as every wise bird knows,
and wheat5ears are particularly ner-
vous about rain. II squirrels store
their nuts early in the autumn, they do
so because the cold has set in carly
not because they can foretell that the
winter will be long and hard, as folk
lore would have US believe. Ill i
About birds as weather prophets, the
Americans have many beliefs. Every
thing is lovely, and the goose hangs
high" This is an expressive saying
implying that the geese are flying high
because the weather is fine; and the
fact that birds fly high may be taken
as one of the surest of all signs made
by birds that the weather win be. fine.
In North Carolina the birds fly south
from cold weather, and north from
warm weather, and when severe cy-
clone is at hand they are puzzled, fly in
circles. dart about wildly, and may be
easily, decoyed. Change of s5eather is
indicated when geese fly past large bod
les of water, not pausing for refresh
n1ent. American Indians predict d
deep fan of snow when grouse drum at
night.
The cuckoo is looked upon as q true
herald of spring, and, naturally enough,
herald he is, because he comes in
April. Another joyous token of the end
of winter is found in the wild notes of
the missed thrust, when they ring out
like a trumpet call from the swaying
tree-tops. The screeching of the mis-
sci thrush before and during storms
has given him the, name of storm cock,
for he loves to brave the gale. A still
better token Of spring is the laughing
call Of the green woodpecker. Even
though snow is on the ground, we may
be sure that winters reign is ended
when the yikeing laugh of the wood
pecker rings out. An odd assortment Of
ideas connecting birds and the weather
has been collected by the United States
Weather Bureau. Many or the ideas
have sound sense in them, or doubtless
such scientific body would not have
troubled to record them.
At sea, when porpoises, dolphins or
grampus sport about ship, chase one
another ina play and are numerous on
the surface, here, are other signs of
probable storms. Electrical changes in
the air are the cause of their liveliness.
Doubtless approaching thunder-storms
are as evident to animals, birds and
fishes as they are to human beings.
The Burr-McIntosh Monthly.