1S4 



♦ KNOW^LEDGE ♦ 



[April 1, 1886. 



as due to increase of distance, not to a real interruption of 

 continuity, I was able to construct a single spiral curve which 

 seems comjsletely to meet all the requirements of the problem. 

 This curve is exhiliited in fig. 2, which is supposed to 

 exhibit the actual figure of the galactic spii-al in space. It 

 is so situated that the various lines drawn from our sun, 

 supposed to be at S, intersect the various portions of the 

 figure representing the i-eal galactic stream, opposite the 

 regions in which these lines meet the figure of the galaxy 

 on our heavens. 



We see that line 1 passes through a gap between the two 

 loops of the galactic spiral. This seems (to begin with) a 

 simple explanation of what has hitherto been admitted to 

 be one of the most perplexing features of the Milky Way. 

 Passing to position 2 the line crosses two branches of the 

 curve, and the coal-sack is accounted for by the deviation of 

 one branch (or both branches) slightly from the mean 

 galactic plane. From position 3 the line crosses one branch 

 at a very small distance, the other being much fii'ther off. 

 This corresijonds clo.sely with the appearance of the two 

 branches, the continuous one being very much the brighter, 

 and some portions along this part of its length being 

 described by Sir John Herschel as singularly bright. It is 

 also well worthy of notice that the two stars which are 

 nearest to the sun (so far at least as observation has yet 

 shown) lie along this branch of the galaxy — a Centauri 

 very nearly where the branch approaches closest to the sun, 

 61 Cygni in direction S5, where the branch is some three 

 times farther ofl'.* The farther branch attains, along 8-1, so 

 great a distance from the sun as to become invisible. This 

 corresponds with the mode of the discontinuity of this part 

 of the Milky Way, for each end of the broken division loses 

 itself, not terminating abruptly like the two fan shaped 

 terminals opposite the line SI. 



Near this portion of the circuit we are provided with an 

 explanation of what had always been looked upon as a 

 great difficulty. Where the two branches start from the 

 coal-sack in Cygnus (on S.5), the northern branch is much the 

 brighter, but presently the northern branch grows fainter 

 and ultimately vanishes, while the southern grows brighter 

 and brighter. This is fully accounted for by the figure I 

 have assigned to the spiral. 



The projection at 6 may be accounted for by assuming the 

 end of the spiral to be curved backwards as I have shown it. 



Lastly the faintness at 7, the projection at 8, and the 

 \acuity at 9 are obviousl}' accordant with the figui'e given 

 to the end of the spiral which falls opposite the lines to 

 these parts. 



Without asserting that the actual figure of the galaxy in 

 space is that shown in fig. 2, I yet think it probable that the 

 order of its windings resembles that shown in the figure. I 

 believe, however, that there are many irregularities not 

 merely in the direction in which the spiral extends through 

 space along its general plane, but in directions inclined to 

 that plane. The appearance presented by the Milky Way 

 in Aquila and Scorpio is strongly suggestive of such pecu- 

 liarities in the real figure of the spiral. 



I feel convinced, further, that the study of the Milky 

 Way as presented in fig. 1 will at once dispose of the 

 notion that the galaxy can be either a cloven disc or a flat 

 ring, or that the section athwart any branch of it can be 

 otherwise in general than roughly circular. 



" The fool bath said hi liis heart, there is no God." It takes 

 another kind of fool to add, " except my God." The wise alone 

 know that " a God understood would be no God at all." 



* According to the annual parallaxes assigned to these stars, 61 

 (^ygni is between two and three times as far from us as a Centauri. 



ANIMAL WEATHER-LORE IN AMERICA. 



By Charles C. Abbott, M.D. 



APPILY there still remain a few of those 

 great, cavei'uous, open fireplaces, flanked by 

 high-backed settles, whereon the young 

 people love to lounge while their elders, 

 resting from the day's labours, talk drowsily 

 of old times, recount the adventures of their 

 youth, and repeat the tales of their grand- 

 fathers. As one of such young people I have passed many 

 long winter evenings listening eagerly to what the septua- 

 genarians might relate, and occasionally venturing a ques- 

 tion or two that more light might be thrown upon obscux'e 

 portions of remarks made at the time. Then, particularly, 

 are we likely to hear much of that very curious animal 

 weather-lore that for the past two centuries has been handed 

 down from father to son. Time and again, as the weather 

 chanced to be discussed, I have heard some uncouth rhyme 

 repeated, usually prefaced with the remark, " You know the 

 old saying." 



That all animals are more or less affected by coming 

 atmospheric changes is unquestionable. This simple fact 

 has been recognised the world over, but, unlike many other 

 simple facts, has not i-esulted in leading to any important 

 discoveries. It has, however, given rise to the innumerable 

 sayings to which I have referied. 



Inasmuch as the animal weather-lore current in England 

 and Sweden dates far prior to the settlement of this country 

 by the Swedes and English, it would seem probable that 

 such sayings as now are or recently were current in South 

 and Central New Jersey are merely adaptations of English 

 and Swedish weather-lore to our fauna, just as the European 

 names of the commoner birds found there were applied to 

 those American species most closely resembling them ; and 

 so any rhyme or brief saying referring to them would be 

 apjslied to the analogous bu-d found heie (in America). This 

 is eminently reasonable, for if the given habit, voice, or other 

 peculiarity of a European bird did, or was supposed to, 

 indicate a given meteorological condition, the same rule 

 should hold good in America. As a matter of fact, how- 

 ever, I can find no similarity between the English and 

 Swedish and the American weather-lore, except such as 

 applies to domestic animals ; nor do I find any common 

 English sayings in use. 



That which I have heard, and have recorded from time to 

 time, appears to have originated where [it is] now, or where 

 it lately was, in u.se. To a great extent, I believe it to be 

 original with the descendants of the immigrants that settled 

 Central New Jersey and the country generally about Phila- 

 delphia ; but a portion of it, very possibly, was derived from 

 the Indians. 



At present, a portion of this weather-loi'e is repeated as 

 nursery rhymes, and it is due to this that it has been pre- 

 served to the present time ; and, so far as I have been able 

 to determine, not one of the rhymes or sayings has ever 

 been published. That among the earliest papers and alma- 

 nacs of the country there may be found some of them, or 

 slightly different versions of the same, is probable, but my 

 searchings therefor in the larger libraries have not resulted 

 in any such discoveries. 



The main interest, however, in connection with weather- 

 lore is to determine whether the sayings do or do not correctly 

 represent the relationship of the animals mentioned to the 

 given condition of the weather. In other words, is the 

 zoology of the weather-lore misrepresented or not 5 I am 

 forced to declare that, as a rule, those who by virtue of their 

 ingenuity framed these rhymes and brief sayings did not 

 correctly interpret Nature. 



