CHAP. 10. 2. SUPERSTITIONS, &c. 323 



with the aerial perfumes of Summer, which 

 arise from a property in the calm air, at par- 

 ticular times, of retaining all effluvia longer 

 than usual. The same would occur in Winter, 

 if there were flowers to scent it. And I have 

 generally been able, by observing whether or 

 no the smoke from my pipe staid long in and 

 scented the circumjacent air of a morning, to 

 prognosticate a good or a bad scenting day for 

 hunting. 



This subject, of the hanging of gaseous 

 substances in the air, leads me again to the con- 

 sideration of Meteors which result from the 

 combustion of low exhalations, such as Will 

 o' the Wisp, the Fire Drake, and others, con- 

 cerning which there are many vulgar prejudices. 



The larger Meteors were called Flying Dra- 

 gons, and numerous vain and fallacious prog- 

 nosticks were deduced from their appearance.* 



* An artificial flying Dragon appeared by day light some 

 years ago, during the celebration of some great public festival 

 in France, which had the express form of this creature of the 

 terrified imagination. It has never been discovered what this 

 extraordinary moving monster really was ; but it has been 

 supposed to have been some kind of firework. I remember 

 seeing an authentic and original picture of it at the late 

 M. Richard Gongh's, at Enfield. 



Y 2 



