92 Transuctio'its. 



and numerous predictions are given regarding the weather for the 



remainder of the year if the day happens to be tine oi- wet. 



This particular day seems often to be taken as representative of 



the weatlier tliroughout the month, as many of tlie sayings are 



exactly the same applied to this day or to the month as a whole. 



There are several of these ^Jrognostics in Latin : — 



Si 8ol splendescat Maria purificante 



Major erit glacies post festum qiuim fuit ante. 



The Englisli version of which is — 



When on the purification sun hath shined, 

 The greater part of winter conies behind. 



In Scotland we have — 



Gin Candlemas day be dry and fair, 

 The half o' winter's to come and mair ; 

 If Candlemas day be wet and foul, 

 The half o' winter's gane at Yule. 



Tn Somersetshire they have — 



The hind has as lief see his wife on her bier, 



As that Candlemas day should be pleasant and clear. 



This is the same as the Welshman's deduction from the general 

 weather during the month. In Germany they say — 



Zu Lichtmess sieht der Bauer lieber den Wolf in schafstalle, 

 denn die Sonne. 



(The peasant would rather see the wolf in the sheep-fold at 

 Candlemas than the sun. ) 



Tiie principal saints' days in this month — St. Valentine, St. 

 Matthias, St. Agatha, St. Felix, &c. — have all some particular 

 prognostics attached to them. 



The general currency of tliese prognostics, all pointing to much 

 the same conclusion, made me curious to try and ascertain if 

 there might not be some truth in them — i.e., that a dry February 

 was followed by unfavourable weather, and vice versa. I have 

 only access to detailed observations extending back to thirty-three 

 years, and they may be taken " for what they are worth." It 

 would be interesting to ascertain if observations extending back 

 to a much longer period in any way correspond to tliese late 

 observations. The details given below, though not bearing out 

 that these old folk-lore weather sayings are absolutely correct — 

 this could not be expected — are, nevertheless, sufficiently near to 

 incline one to think there may be some grain of truth in them. 



