Chap. 13.] Prognojtics from the Sky. 505 



it is a fign that the vapours afcend, and that there will 

 be an accumulation above, which mud terminate in 

 rain. When the dew, or hoar froft, abounds at an 

 unufual feafon, and the barometer is low, it is in ge- 

 neral a fign of rain. 



V. As they#y indicates the ftate of the vapours In 

 the atmofphere, its colour may be confidered as an index 

 to the weather. 



When the vapours, which appear red in the even- 

 ing, are difperfed, the fky in the morning in general 

 becomes clear j but when they continue to float in the 

 atmofphere, the morning fky becomes red alfo, and 

 rain frequently follows. 



When a lowring rednefs fpreads far upwards from 

 the horizon, whether in the morning or evening, it; 

 is fucceeded frequently by either rain or wind, fome- 

 times by both. 



When a rednefs in the fky extends tov/ards the 

 zenith in the evening, the wind may be expecled to 

 proceed from the weft, or fouth-wefl, accompanied 

 with rain in considerable quantity. Perhaps one of the 

 moft certain figns of fine weather is the loftinefs of 

 the canopy of the fky. 



As the rays of light which pafs from the fun, moon, 

 or ftars, to the earth, are certainly affedbed in their co- 

 lour by the ftate of the vapours through which they 

 pafs, thofe colours may be confidered as indications 

 of the quantity and nature of thofe vapours. 



When the clouds in the eaft, about fun-rife, appear 

 of a gay orange colour, it is generally, and not impro- 

 perly, fuppofed to be a fign of rain. 



VI. The firft of Roman poets, and not the laft of 

 natural philofophers, Virgil, obferves, that a pale moon 

 is a fign of rain ; that a red one forebodes wind ; and 



that 



