1 1 MR BAIRD ON THE SEA-TREE. 



gives us some faint idea of the immensity of space, since our familiar 

 friends the clouds are at such a distance, a cloud which is well known 

 to seamen as a prelude to a stiff breeze, and called the mackerel back * 

 these or some other of its varieties are known to almost every one. The 

 way in which this cloud perhaps most generally makes its appearance, is 

 in a milkiness or turbid whiteness diffusing itself over some part of the 

 heaven. This gradually either descends in the atmosphere, or becomes 

 more condensed, and takes on some more decided appearance, such as 

 one of those I have already mentioned, or without taking on any of those 

 decided forms, stretches itself in long lines over the sky, and passes gra- 

 dually into one of the compound forms, " cirro-cumulus" or " cirro- 

 stratus." The " cirro-cumulus" has been finely described by the poet 

 Bloomfield, " the beauteous semblance of a flock at rest,'' and may be 

 considered the cloud of fine weather. The " cirro-stratus," however, 

 figures in many a sad change, and it is frequently in combination witli 

 this compound form, that the " cirrus" is seen a mark of bad weather. 

 In variable and showery weather, when the shower has passed away, and 

 all appearance of rain is gone, when a few rocky " cumuli," or some de- 

 tached portions of " cirro-stratus" are only to be seen lingering in the 

 sky, we often perceive, shooting up between two or three of these clouds 

 I have mentioned, a light fleecy almost transparent cloud, branching out 

 at one side into fine radiations, like the down upon a feather, and hence 

 called " plumose cirri ;" when such are seen, we may almost certainly 

 conclude that the weather will continue changeable, and showers will 

 again prevail. This modification or variety is generally met with in 

 showery weather ; but there is another somewhat resembling this one, 

 which is very frequently only to be met with during a continuance of 

 fine settled weather, and which may be understood when I describe it as 

 two of these " plumose cirri" united, rendering it plumose on each side, 

 or giving somewhat the appearance of a tree, and called, I believe, by 

 the natives of Norfolk, the '* Sea- Tree." It is this variety that I have 

 selected as the subject of this paper, and which, with few exceptions, I 

 have generally found as a sure sign of approaching rain. The weather 

 has been fine and settled-looking for some time, the sun rises clear and 

 unclouded, his mid-day ardour is moderated perhaps somewhat by those 

 elegant shaped parasols of heaven, the beautiful fine weather cumuli ; 

 whilst he sinks in the evening to his western pillow in a flood of glory. 

 Day after day the same succession of weather takes place, and a long 

 continuance of such is predicted, till at last, on some warm or sultry 

 day, we perceive the " sea-tree" make its appearance, perhaps iso- 

 lated and waving its branches at an immense distance in the heavens, 

 perhaps its stalk rising out of a bank of " cirro-stratus/' its feathery or 



* " Mackerel b.-cks and mnres' tails, 



Make lofty slups carry low s;.iK," 

 is an adage *el2 kn<m:i at sea. 



