ON THE WEATHER. 107 



My rod and basket I've laid by, 



My furs and feathers too ; 

 I never thought to make a fly, 



Though I'd little else to do. 

 My book with mould is cover'd o'er, 



As it neglected lies ; 

 The moths as they the leaves explore. 



Make havoc with the flies. 

 Nor in the morn the lark we hear. 



As through the air he flies- 

 No cookoo's note the vallies cheer 



For chilling looks the skies. 

 But when these storms are wafted by, 



And buds are springing out, 

 Then to the waters we will hie, 



To kill the speckled trout. 



OBSERVATIONS ON THE WEATHER. 



WHEN the sun rises red and fiery, wind and rain are sure 

 to follow. When the sun appears white at setting, or 

 goes down into a rock of clouds, which lie in the horizon, 

 it is a sign of bad weather. If the moon and stars be- 

 cfJme dim in the night, with the like haziness in the air, 

 and a ring or halo round the moon, rain will ensue. If 

 the moon at her rising looks pale and dim, expect rain ; if 

 red, it is a sign of wind ; and if white and the sky clear, 

 it is a sign of fair weather. When the clouds are formed 

 like fleeces and very white at the edges, either hail, snow, 

 or hasty showers of rain will soon follow. When a fiery 

 redness, together with a ruggedness of the clouds, extends 

 towards the zenith in an evening, it is a sure sign of speedy 



