206 POPULAR WEATHER PROGNOSTICS. 



the fleas then bite him with more violence, digs up the 

 earth with his feet, runs round, and eats grass ; he is 

 accustomed, however, to do the latter when he is very 

 hot, perhaps to cool himself; and, in general, a storm 

 follows soon after." Well, it may be so at Gb'ttingen; 

 and if the professors there report as to the habits of 

 fleas in assailing human beings, we shall listen with 

 deference. These lucubrations as to the doings of fleas 

 with the canine race are open to suspicion, because, 

 though dogs are our good friends, they are unfortunately 

 unable to explain their sensations meteorologically; and 

 as our dog seems to eat grass because he needs physic, we 

 are not prepared to grant that when German dogs are 

 graminivorous the sky will soon growl out thunder. In 

 short, we cannot accept either the facts or the philo- 

 sophy of Dr Meyer. So far is it from being true that 

 only man and the dog have been observed to have a pre- 

 sensation of storms, that, among the prognostics of 

 quadrupeds, Dr Mitchell has collected the following 

 for investigation : Goats leaving high and exposed 

 ground, and seeking shelter in a bield, or in some 

 recess ; old sheep and ewes eating greedily ; swine 

 carrying straw in their mouths, and tossing about their 

 bedding ; moles raising their hillocks more than usual ; 

 hares taking to the open country before snow. 



Coming now more especially to some of the prognos- 

 tics noted by Dr Mitchell for verification, we find that 

 it is believed that the low flight of crows indicates rain, 

 and that if, when flying high, they suddenly dart down 

 and wheel about in circles, wind is expected. We can 

 only say that, if they do, we can suggest no explana- 

 tion of such proceedings ; and that if the crowing of 

 the cock at unusual times prognosticates rain or snow, 

 we are quite at a loss to explain the augury. It is cer- 

 tain, however, that, from the earliest times, ravens and 

 cocks have got credit for being weather-prophets. 



The landward flight and flocking of sea-gulls are 

 supposed to presage wind according to the old rhyme 



