POPULAR 0PI2II0NS CONCEENING THE WEATHEE. 291 

 SECTION T. 



POPULAB OPIKIONS CONCEENING TKE "WEATHEE. 



638. There is no reason to doubt that every 



Do changes in . .... , 



the weather chansTC 111 the Weather is in strict accordance 



cccur in ac- '=' -, r- • ^ • ^ • i • i 



c.rdance with With soHie dciinite physical ajrencies, which are 



fixed laws ? X .. o 7 



fixed and certain in their operations. We 

 can not, however, foretell with any degree of certainty 

 the character of the weather for any particular time, be- 

 cause the laws which govern meteorological changes are 

 as yet imperfectly understood. 



There are, however, in all countries, certain ideas and pop- 

 Are the popn- ' . . \, , ■, • n 

 lar ideas re- ular proverbs respecting changes in the weather, the inuu- 



specting g^^^^ ^f ^j^g moon, the aurora borealis, etc., which are wholly 



changes in the ' . 



weather found- erroneous and unworthy of belief; since, when tested by 



ed on fact? long-continued observations, they are invariably found to be 



unsupported by evidence. 



Thus an examination of meteorological records, kept in different countries, 

 through many years, proves conclusively that the popular notions concerning 

 the influence of the moon on the weather has no foundation in any well- 

 established theory, and no correspondence with observed facts. 



There is, however, some reason for supposing that rain falls more frequently 

 about four days before full moon, and less frequently about four or five days 

 before new moon, than at other parts of the month; but this can not be con- 

 sidered as an established fact. In other respects, the changes of the moon 

 can not be shown to have influenced in any way the production of rain. 



There is also a current belief among many persons that timber should be 

 cut during the decline of the moon. To test the matter, an experiment, on 

 an extensive scale, was made some years since in France, when it was found 

 that there was no diflerence in the quality of any timber felled in diflerent 

 parts of the lunar month. 



It is also supposed that bright moonlight hastens, in some way, the putre- 

 lactiou of animal and vegetable substances. The facts in respect to this sup- 

 position are, that on bright, clear nights, when the moon shines brilliantly, 

 dew is more freely deposited on these substances than at other times, and in 

 this way putrefaction may be accelerated. With this result tho moon has no 

 connection. 



It is a traditional idea with many that a long and violent storm usually 

 accompanies the period of the equinoxes, espociallj' the autumnal ; but tho 

 examination of weather records for sixtj'-four years has shown that no 

 particular day can be pointed out in the month of September (when the 

 " equinoctial storm" is said to occur) upon which there eyer was, or ever will 



