MR BA1RD ON THE SEA-TREE. 117 



arborescent summit flickering aloft and pointed towards the wind, and 

 immediately the meteorologist acquainted with its appearance, foretells 

 a change. I have observed this cloud in many different parts of the 

 world, and I have watched with great interest the change from dry to 

 wet weather take place, and found the same change produced between 

 the tropics, under the equator, in the burning climate of India, in the 

 cooler latitudes of a southern zone, as well as in our northern clime, in 

 the midst of the trackless ocean, as well as on land in our own county of 

 Berwick. From a meteorological journal I kept some years ago, during 

 a period of fifteen months in various parts of the world, I could produce 

 many instances to prove the connexion which seems to exist between the 

 appearance of this cloud, the " sea-tree," and wet weather. I could shew 

 it uninfluenced by climate, and independent of previous weather and 

 producing the same effects when isolated from other clouds, as when 

 connected with, or rising out of " cirro-stratus." I shall, however, select 

 the notice of a cloud of this description as seen very lately in Berwick- 

 shire, and the appearances of which were marked at the time. The un- 

 usual dry weather which has prevailed this last summer, renders perhaps 

 the appearance of this cloud and the results more remarkable than it 

 would have been, had the weather been wet and showery. 



On the 3d of September, during a warm day, and after some continu- 

 ance of dry weather, the prevailing clouds being " cumuli," I observed 

 a bank of "cirro-stratus" hanging over the northern horizon, but at some 

 considerable height from the horizon. The wind was very gentle and 

 almost due south. * When looking up some little time after to the " cirro- 

 stratus," I observed, near the eastern part of the bank, two distinct 

 " sea-trees" shooting out of it ; their stalks, as it were, rising out of its 

 substance, but at the same time distinguished from the body of the 

 cloud by being darker in colour. They shot up into the sky, and their 

 arborescent heads pointed and waved in the direction from which the 

 wind was blowing. Whilst the " cirro-stratus" moved northwards with 

 the breeze, the sea-trees rose up against it, and some less well defined 

 clouds of the same description appeared rising out of the bank at its 

 western portion also. These threatening clouds continued visible for 

 some time, but gradually disappeared. As the afternoon wore on, how- 

 ever, " cirrus and cirro-stratus" blended, the one passing into the other, 

 took possession of the sky, and shewed that some change in the atmo- 

 sphere was already going on. About seven p. M. this stratum of cloud 

 had partly disappeared, and I did not observe the appearance of the sky 

 again that evening, which, however, was rather cold and chilly. In the 

 morning, however, about six or seven o'clock, the sky was again seen to 

 be covered with a pretty dense stratum of " cirro-stratus." ** Cumuli" 

 were mixed with it the wind began to whistle the stratum of cloud 

 became denser and soon after "nimbus" formed, covered the whole 

 sky, and rain began to fall, continuing throughout the forenoon. It 

 B. N. c. NO. iv. H 



