The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-10-17

| the early fall are widely regarded as
sure sign of heavy weather ahead.
Government scientists have never
made any experiments of changing
animals from one climate to another
| to test their adaptability in this re
Ispect. 1t is believed that a louisiana
muskrat, for example, might freeze to
death if taken to a cold climate be.
cause his skin would probably not re.
act quickly enough to clothe him prop.
erly the first winter If he survived
that year the next year he would prob.
ably adapt himself like the other
animals of the region. This is prob.
lematical. But it is certain that he
would not grow his thicker fur in.
stinctively before the cold weather
struck him
Hibernation is another misinterpret-
! ed animal function. Early hiberna-
ton is often pointed out as one of the
signs of approaching cold AS a mat.
ter of fact, animals do not hibernate
so much on account of cold as because
of their bodily condition When a
bear has an inch of fat on his body,
or whatever he needs for the winter,
he feels, we may imagine, much like
person who has eaten hearty meal.
So the bear curls up in protected
place and sleeps.
With some animals this desire for
sleep comes in the hottest part of the
year. Ground squirrels in the west
go into the ground in July and stay
there the balance of the summer
months.
An example of how Information is
connected in our minds with weather
is the ground hog shadow tradition.
The ground hog, or woodchuck, is sup
posed to regulate the coming of spring.
The story goes that the 81 ound hog
comes out of his hole on Candlemas
day, February second, and looks
around. If he sees his shadow he re-
turns to his hole, thereby informing
the world that winter is not over If
the sky is cloudy he ventures out to
enjoy the spring days that axe COM
ing.
Don't Trust the Ground Hog.
rms tradition got its origin through
the January thaw that sets in some
years. For week or two the weather
IS pleasant and melting. Farmers
know by experience that this fine
"OoIdCl uOSS not nOlu, anu IndL II Is
almost invariably followed by set
back. Spring is apt to come sooner if
there is no January thaw, and the
temperature rises gradually little lat
er The ground hog comes into the
story because he energies from his
winter quarters about this time If he
comes out and finds the sun shining
he is supposed to know that the
warmth is too unreasonable to last.
The story would be more reason
able If the fate of the winter rested
on the temperature of ground hog day
rather than the sum- day of freez-
ing temperature may be bright and
sunny. Yet the sign would read that
the ground hog saw his shadow and
winter was not over.
Tracing the different traditions
back, IT is easy to see how they orig
mated, Today we merely quote them
without considering their significance
or without making allowance for
facts that science has proved since the
old weather lore was evolved.
The conclusion of scientists is that
lower animals are not better equipped
to be weather prophets than human
beings would be without their instru-
ments and scientific knowledge.
Those of US who are much in the
open learn to gauge weather coodi-