FORECASTING THE WEATHER 



ON 2 May, 1916, at a season, therefore, when 

 farmers are generally somewhat exercised as 

 to the coming hay-harvest, and may well wish 

 they had some contrivance or knew of some method 

 whereby they could ascertain, at all events, a few 

 days in advance what the weather is going to be, a 

 thought flashed into my mind. At first it raised a smile, 

 it seemed so ridiculous and impracticable, yet there 

 could be no harm in trying. I knew that most animals, 

 such as birds, game, etc., sensed the approach of rain 

 at least several hours before it began to fall. But the 

 subject is one that has not yet come sufficiently under 

 notice, so that we do not know whether they may not 

 sense the atmospheric changes over an even longer 

 period. We humans are not in a position to discover 

 how animals come by their knowledge, we can only 

 conclude that Nature has equipped them with more 

 delicate " chords," so to speak, and that upon these 

 highly strung chords she can sound a warning of her im- 

 pending changes, since these, our humbler brethren, 

 stand in more imminent need thereof. It is common 

 knowledge that animals sense earthquakes long in 

 advance of the actual shock, and this can only be 

 accounted for in some such way. At the time of the 

 earthquake in 1912, Rolf, at Mannheim, crept into a 

 corner several hours before it took place, and on being 

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