The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1915-05-07
Animals As Barometers.

change of weather impends, and
particularly when wind is coming.
cats how uneasines and frequently
r0b their ears. This may be due to
irritation caused by minute electric
discharges affecting the sensitive
hairs covering the ears. In dry win
dy weather 1t is easy to obtain little
sparks by rubbing a cats back, and
in fact cat may sometimes be seen
with her hair fairly standing on end
with an electric brush discharge.
1t is probable that electricity plays
the principle part in the significant
behavior of many animals on the eve
of storm or other atmospheric
lchange. II is the most subtle Of all
the meteorological elements and the
most difficult for us to discover, but
animal senses seem to be peculiarly
acute in detecting its effects.
/ In the case of certain persons who
are known among their acquaintance
( for their ability to foretell the wealth
er by rheumatic pains" or other
physiological indications. 1t may be
atmospheric electricity. rather than
dampness, or change of barometic
pressure that produces the pheno-
mena.
! Geese are famous weather pro-
phets." According to the belief of
those who should best know them,
geese foretell fine weather no less
certainly than they tell foul weather
If geese rub down and dress their
feathers with care. says one ancient
saw, a spell of fine weather is at
hand If they keep away from wa
ter, says another. look out for rain.
and if they cry in a frightened man
ner you may know storm is brew
ing. Assuming that the forewarn-
ings OF these geese are trustworthy.
how do they get their information?
They have no meteorological instru-
ments except their nerves, which are
for less highly organized than ours.
They must. nevertheless, detect
something in the atmosphere which
escapes our notice.
Before storm hens rub them
selves with dust and show uneasiness
all barnyard fouls make unusual
noises; horses neigh, cattle low,
sheep bleat and stay around the barn
instead of going afield; cows take
sudden freaks and throwing up their
tails chase one another around the
enclosure: swine grunt. asses bray,
birds utter harsh cries, swallows fly
low, bees stay in their hives; along
the seacoast gulls appear over the
land-in.- short. and / am quoting
these statements from collections of
old weather saws, and farmers al
MANAGES of the whole animated crea-
tion man seems to have the least
foreknOwledge of atmospheric chang
es, altho his general intelligence in
finitely exceeds that of all the rest
combined.
On the side where his senses are
dull those of the others are acute.
Even insects exceed man in power
to foresee the weather. We have
J just seen what the conduct of bees
is before a storm. Spiders never
weave outdoors when a storm is
brewing, but II a spell of fair wealth
er is at hand they set to work with
great industry and span the gang
ways of the flies and other small
winged insects with their deceptive
nets.
| There is one kind of weather sign,
however, which seems to have sig
nificance to human senses, and that is
appearances of the sky, and heavenly
bodies. To read the clouds skillful-
ly is. in itself, a kind of education,
and one not easily acquired. But
some things are plain to everybody.
For instance, unusual scintillation Of
the stars is the sign of the approach
both of rain and of wind. Halos
around the sun and the moon fore
tell rain or snow, because they show
that the upper atmosphere is filled
with condensing vapor.
| A pale moon does not signify, as
Shelley POLITICALLY imagined. that the
goddess of the night is wetary with
much climbing" of heavens heights
but shows the brewing of a storm,
preceded by an almost imperceptible
"thickening" of the upper air As
tronomers know constellation Of
little stars called. from ancient times,
the Manager" When the Manager
vanishes says Aratus, the old Greek
weather watcher. mo feeble tempest
then will soak the leas."
Among alleged weather signs that
] have come upon are these: Snails
are unusually active Just before a