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Alio when little clouds fink low, as into valleys at 

 louth-caft, or fouth-wefl:, it is a fign of fair Weather. 

 If the the tops of hills be clear, it is a fign of foir 



Weather. 



If there are to the north-weft white fcattering clouds, 

 like fleeces of wool, it is a fign of fair Weather. 

 When white clouds or mifts hang juft over rivers, and 

 difperfe no farther, it is a fign of fair Weather. 

 When a rainbow appears after a fiiower, and the blue 

 or yellow part of it be very bright, and the higheft co- 

 lour, they are tokens of fair Weather. 

 When bees fly far from their hives, and come home 

 late, it is a fign of fair Weather. 

 When there are great fwarms of gnats, it prefagesfair 



fign 



of fair 



Weather. 



Glow-worms Ihining by night, are a 



Weather. 



When kites fly aloft, it befpeaks fair dry Weather. 



The Lord Bacon gives this reafon for it; becaufe the 



kite mounts moll into the air of that temper wherein 



he delights ; for this afpiring bird does not fo much 



affeft the groflfnefs of the air, as the cold and frefh- 



nefs of it ; for being a bird of prey, and therefore 



hot, he delights in the frefli air. 



When fwallovys fly high, it is a fign of fair Weather. 



When owls wHoot much, it is a fign of fair Weather ; 



and though owls do always whoot much, both in wet 



and dry Weather, yet there is this difference, that their 



whooting is more clamorous in wet Weather, but 



more eafy and fedate in fair Weather. . 



When halycyons, coots, and other fea fowls, leave 



the fhores,, and flock to the fea, it is a fign of fair 



Weather. 



When catde feed eagerly. 



The nature of the winds is fuch, that, by tlie expe- 

 rience we have of t!iem, v.e may very nearly predic^t 

 what Weather we fhall have for two or three days after. 

 As for example : we know that in our climate a fouth 

 wind generally brings rain, and a weft wind more • 

 and the weft wind is the predominant wind with us, 

 becaufe the ocean lies on the weft fide of our country. 

 And alio that a north wind brings fair weather to us 

 as well as the eaft wind, which does not laft fo Ion 



or 

 O 



them, it is a fign of fair Weather. 



without looking about 



as the north i therefore the north-eaft and fouth-well 

 winds are thofethat are necefiary chiefly to be treated 

 of. 



Some curious obfervers of the Weather have made 

 this obfervation for many years ^ That there is as 

 much fouth and weft wind in eight years, as there are 

 north and eaft w^inds, and of confequence as many 

 wet years as dry ones. 



Mr. Pointer gives the following rules to know when 

 the wind will fet in one of thefe two points, for the 

 moft part, for tw^o or three months together. 

 Firft, as to the north-eaft wind : when the wind turns 

 to the north-eaft point, and continues in it two days 

 without rain, and does neither turn to the fouthward 

 the third day, nor rain, then it is likely to continue 

 eight or nine days without rain, and then to return 

 into the fouth. 



If the wind turn out of the fouth into the north-eafl: 

 again, and continue two days in that point, and nei- 

 ther rains nor turns to the fouth the third day, it is 

 likely to continue north-eaft for two miOnths, and for 

 the moft part for three months. The wind will finifli 

 thefe turns towards the north in three weeks time. 

 Secondly, as to the foutli-weft winds : when the wind 

 has been in the north for tv/o months or more, and 

 comes to the fouth, there are ufually three or four fair 



When fifli rife frequently, and flirt upon the Water, days at firft, and then on the fourth or fifth day comes 



it is a fign of fair Weather. 



rain, or elfe the wind turns north, and continues ftill dry. 

 Spiders webs in the air, or on the Grafs and trees, I If within a day or two without rain, it return into the 



foretel much fair Weather. 



fouth, and with rain, turn nortliward, and return into 



1. 



A thick dark fky, lafting for fame time, without | into the fouth the firft or fecond day, as before, two 



or three times together after this manner ; then it is 

 like to be in the fouth or fouth-weft two or three 

 months togetKer^ for tHe moft: paitr as it was In the 

 north before^- '^- "" " - :^^^-^^"^- 



either fun or rain, always becomes firft fair then foul, 

 i. e. changes to a fair clear fky ere it turns to rain. 

 ' Thus the Rev. Mr. Clarke, who kept a regifterof the 

 Weather for thirty years, fince put into Dr. Derham's 

 Kand, by his grandfoh, Hie learned Dr. Samuel Clarke. 

 This he fays neliardly'everknew to fail,' a^^ when 

 the wind was m any of the eallerly points' j' But Dr. 

 Derham has obferved the rule to hold good, be the 

 wind where it will. 



The caufe is obvious. The atmofphefe is replete] - If it prove fair weather out of the fouth for a week to- 

 with vapours, which, though fufficient to refleftand] gether, which is hot ufual,-''1t *is like to be a great 

 intercept the fun's rays from us, yet want denfity tot -■ drought, When it has rained a long time out of the 

 defcend -, and while the vapours continue in the fame | fouth before. 



He does not rriVntion ttfe eaft or weft winds, becaufe 

 he fays, the rains come ufually from the fouth, or, 

 in ' tTie Ihifting' of the wind from the fouth to the 

 north •, as for the drought, the wind is, for the moft 



part 



north-eaft. 





. ftate,th^ Weather will do fo too. Accordingly fuch I ''■ The wmd ufually turns from the north to the fouth 

 •■"VYeathetis generally attended with moderate warmth, | '"qiuetly*wTtTibut rain, but comes back again into the 



a K 



and little or no wind to difturb the vapours^'an'd a'f -'^ "north 'with a ftrong'wind and rain, 

 .heavy atmpfphere to fqft^^^ the barometer be- 1 The grHteft winds, which blow down houfes and - 



--ing commonly high.'^^-But when the cold a|)pr6acTies, T 'frges, tifually'come by the turning of the wind out of 



and by condenfing drives the vapours into clouds or] " the fouth by weft into the north, which drives away 



drops, then way is madp for the fun beams,' till | rain, and dears the air. 

 'the fame vapours being by farther condenfatioh form- ^ 



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fr^ 





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cd into rain, fall down in drops.' '-^v' 5 ^r^^^^^^^ • hi '^ Of Ph^^^^ 



2. A change in the wa^rntfi of the weather if ^ ^5 r:^/ ?rcri-w vc_j^ uion: cv. :^ ; ■ .: :<r- 



followed hv a chancre nf the wind T^nc «-K/» «i-v.-'l "n.- "n^^t-li^fvi'^-krAl^nfo ne wttVi thf> fnllnwincr remarks : 



2. A change in the warmth of the weather is g'enei^lly 

 followed by a change of the wind. ; Thus the nor- 

 therly and foutlierly wincls^ commonly efteemed thej 

 caufe^ of cold or warm weather, are really the efFeds 

 ;^ of the cpld or warmth of tlie atmofjphere, of which Dr." 

 '-: Derham aflTures us he had fo many confirmations, that 

 -; he makes no doubt of it. T ' . . •" ' -^ ; 



Thus it is common to fee a warm foutherly wind 

 • cHanged to the north, by the fall of fnow or hail ; or" 

 to fee the wind in a cold frofty morning north, 

 ■When^ the fun has well warmed the earth and air, wheel 

 toward the fouth, and again turn northerly or eafterly 

 in the cold eveninor. 



»»--.'■ •■'.'^^ : / I* " f 





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Prdgnbjlics of the Weather h the wind. " ' 



The winds, fays Mr. Pointer, are the caufes ,of the 

 moil fudden and extraordinary alterations of the air. 



Dr. Derha:m"prefentsus with the foHowmg remar 



I. That foggy Weather makes the mercury rife in 



'-the "barometer, as well as the north' wind. The caufe 



;-^ he fuggefts, probably enough, to be the acceffion of 



•' the load of vapour to the former weight of the atmo- 



-' fphere.. Mizzling Weather he likewile obferves to 



have the like effedt. • i j 



2: The colds and heats in England and Switzerland 



begin and end nearly about the fame time ; nay, and 



any remarkable weather, efpecially if it continues any 



while, affedts one place as well as the other. 



.3. That the remarkably cold days in June 1708, were 



. found in Switzerland to precede ours commonly about 



• - 'five "days or more-' and that the remarkable heats in 



1' the following months begin to abate in both places 



. about the fame time, only fomewhat fooner here than 



there. 



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