FLOWERS AND THE MOON. 211 



made at the Jardin des Plantes, in an underground cellar, 

 illuminated by lamps giving a light equal to fifty-four 

 ordinary wax candles. By lighting these he could 

 cause the flowers of the star of Bethlehem to open at 

 pleasure, and also those of the sea-chamoruile, which 

 keeps its flowers closely shut during the night ; but he 

 could produce no artificial effect, with the strongest 

 light, upon several species of wood-sorrel, whose flowers 

 and leaves are both folded up at night. With the sen- 

 sitive plant he succeeded in so completely changing the 

 hour of closure, that on the third day from being placed 

 in the lighted cellar it began to fold its leaves in the 

 morning and open them in the evening. 



But not only do very many animals and plants afford 

 popular weather prognostics these are also found abun- 

 dantly in the aspects of the sky, in the sun and moon, 

 in the aurora borealis, falling stars, and thunder. 



Dr Mitchell, as to these, indicates a very wide field 

 of inquiry, and remarks that "the accusation of fanci- 

 ful can with most fairness be brought against those 

 prognostics which are associated with the aurora, halos, 

 mock suns, thunder, &c." If he had included among 

 the dubieties those connected with the moon, he would 

 have agreed with most physicists, although it must be 

 avowed some of the most distinguished of these hold 

 that lunar influences do affect the weather. " No ob- 

 servation," says Mr Daniell, " is more general, and on 

 no occasion, perhaps, is the almanac so frequently con- 

 sulted, as in forming conjectures upon the state of the 

 weather. The common remark, however, goes no far- 

 ther than that changes from wet to dry, and from dry 

 to wet, generally happen at the changes of the moon. 

 When to this result of universal experience we add the 

 philosophical reasons for the existence of tides in the 

 aerial ocean, we cannot doubt that such a connection 

 exists. The subject, however, is involved in much 

 obscurity." Supposing the connection to be demon- 

 strated, we need not despair of tracing the reason of it. 



