POPULAE WEATHER PROGNOSTICS* 



"To popular apprehension, the highest or ultimate 

 object of meteorology is to enable us to foretell the 

 weather. Looked upon in this point of view, science 

 can as yet only offer abortive attempts, or such as hold 

 out no promises for the future. In other respects, on 

 the contrary, her advances have been assured, rapid, and 

 brilliant." We shall not presume to speculate whether 

 the illustrious Arago, if still among us, and acquainted 

 with Fitzroy's forecasting of the weather, would have 

 been induced to modify this opinion as to the hopeless- 

 ness of expecting that scientific meteorology shall 

 enable us to foretell the weather. It is certain, how- 

 ever, that he would have approved of the attempt now 

 being made, by the Scottish Meteorological Society, to 

 determine the worth of that "folk-lore" regarding the 

 weather which has been current from the earliest times. 

 " While," says he, " I am far from regarding proverbs 

 and popular sayings in general as constituting codes of 

 national wisdom, I am, at the same time, disposed to 



* 'On the Popular "Weather Prognostics of Scotland,' By 

 Arthur Mitchell, M.D., Member of Council of the Scottish 

 Meteorological Society, &c. William Blackwood and Sons, 

 Edinburgh and London : 1863. 



' A Prognostication of Right Goode Effect.' By Leonard Digges. 

 London : 1555. 



