METEOROLOGY. 



147 



Contnw- 



lion ami 

 ripir.M. n 

 T toner*. 





Meteoroio- inverted cone of cloud, the upper part of which spreads 

 O- in one continuous sheet of cirrus to a great distance 

 * T"*^ from where the shower is falling. When the total eva- 

 poration of the cloud that remains after the shower takes 

 place, it is reckoned a prognostic of fair weather. When 

 the nimbus appears by itself, it generally moves with 

 the wind, but when formed in the midst of cumuli, it 

 sometimes moves in a contrary direction. This is of- 

 ten the case with thunder showers. 



We do not think it necessary to pursue this subject 

 any farther. The above sketch will be sufficient to en- 

 able such of our readers as are engaged in meteorologi- 

 cal pursuits, to record the appearance of the clouds ac- 

 cording to Mr. Howard's classification ; and those who 

 wish for farther information upon the subject may con- 

 sult, betides the works already referred to, Forster's 

 Trtatitc on Atmospheric Phenomena. 



Frafnostics We come now to enumerate some of the prognostics 

 fiitcw- of the second class, viz. those that are derived from 

 cood cU**. phenomena, which are observed on the surface of the 

 earth, or at least in the lower regions of the atmosphere. 

 These phenomena are of various kinds, uch as the ex- 

 pansion and contraction of flowers the motions and 

 cries of certain animal* painful sensation* in the hu- 

 man body, &c. and though many of them are no 

 fanciful, yet others appear well entitled to the attention 

 of meteorologists. Sonieof them indeed, especially such 

 as are drawn from the economy of plants, admit of a 

 philosophical and satisfactory explanation, as every 

 body mint know who it in any degree acquainted with 

 physiological botany. Thus it is stated, by >ir .' I 



iroti-iilm an-tntit, Aiiagallit an-m. 

 i .ih-n,luta phrtialu, and many others, are well known 

 to shut up their flowers against the approach of rain ; 

 whence the A*agolli$, (or Pimpernel,) has been called 

 the poor man's weather glass." It has mho been ascer- 

 tained, that the Parliera hygromttra, a Peruvian plant, 

 uniformly contracts its leaves at the approach of rainy 

 weather, which it predicts with the greatest certainty. 

 See BOTANY, vol. iv. p. (x). In these, and many other 

 instances that might be given, the irritability of the 

 plant i obviously excited by some change in the state 

 of the atmosphere, which change is either the imme- 

 diate caue, or concomitant of run. 



It i probably owing to some atmospherical influence 

 of a similar kind on the animal system, that the pecu- 

 liar cries or motions of tome beasts, and certain sensa- 

 tions in the human body, are found to indicate changes 

 in the weather, though it may be difficult, or in the 

 present state of science, even impossible to explain that 

 influence. Thus, it h^s been long observed, and \t rv 

 generally believed, that rain nay be expected when 

 swallows are observed frequently dipping their wings 

 in the water over which they are flying when the crow 

 or the peacock cries louder and mm.- t'n <|ncnt!y than 

 usual when water-fowl are p.irtu-nUrly clamorous and 

 active when dogs appear unusually dull and sleepy 

 when the croaking of frogs is loud and general or 

 when worms are seen in great numbers on the surface 

 of the earth. It is commonly supposed too, tliat the 

 noise of sea gulls about the coast, and the approach of 

 the porpus and dolphin to the shore, are certain indi- 

 cations of a storm at sea, and wind is generally expect, 

 ed at land when pigs are observed to run aliout with 

 evident oigns of uneasiness. It is equally well known, 

 that persons subject to rheumatism and other similar 

 diseases, or who have accidentally hufTered injury in 

 any of their limb, generally feel more acute pain in 

 the pan affected, before a change of weather, than at 



(rotations 



any other time ; and we know Instances in which these Meieorolo- 

 pains are most severe, before or during a sudden de- 

 pression of the barometer. This coincidence points to "*V 

 something like an explanation of the phenomenon ; 

 but we avoid at present proposing any thing on the 

 subject. Neither do we think it necessary to enter at 

 greater length into a detail of facts with which our 

 readers in general must be familiar, and of which they 

 will find an extensive and amusing collection in Fors- 



ter's treatise on Atmospheric phenomena, formerly re- . 

 .. , J , Popular 



ferretl to. w e would only remark, in conclusion, that prognostic, 



these popular prognostics, fanciful as many of them un- too fro 



questionably are, and connected as they have too fre- quently un- 



quently been with the most absurd and ridiculous su- devalued. 



jHT-titions, ought nevertheless to find a place in every 



meteorological register, and to overlook them, is to re- 



ject the means which nature herself seems to have 



pointed out, for investigating her operations in a very 



interesting class of phenomena. We are aware, indeed, 



that the modem philosopher, who fancies that he can 



never depart far enough from the beaten track of vul- 



gar opinions, may be disposed to smile at the idea of 



calling in the observations of the illiterate, to aid him 



in his scientific pursuits, or of attaching any importance 



to the pretended discoveries, as he may think them, of 



a class of men, who are always ready to trace cause and 



effect between any two events, however unconnected 



they may in reality be, provided they happen about 



the >arne time, or nearly at the same place. He ought 



to remember, however, that what hai been stated as 



matter of fact by thousands in every age and country, 



as is the case with many of the prognostics alluded to 



above, is not to be rejected because it may appear to 



him fanciful or absurd that instead of endeavouring 



to set it aiide with a sneer, his own philosophy calls 



upon him to investigate the reality of the alleged phe- 



nomena in the first instance and that if it be as it i.i 



represented, he is bound by the principles of the same 



philosophy to admit it as a fact, whether he can assign 



the cause of it or not. He might be reminded too, of 



what is perhaps a very humiliating consideration, but 



not on that account the less true, that the shepherd, who 



is totally ignorant of the constitution and properties ot' 



the atmosphere, and altogether unacquainted with the 



laws which regulate the distribution of its heat and 



moisture, can by his own experience and observation, 



predict the changes of the weather at a greater distance 



and with more certainty, than the philosopher is able 



to do, with the aid of all the discoveries of modern sci- 



ence. This indeed, is not the only, nor as some may 



be disposed to think, the most interesting object of me- 



teorological pursuits ; but while it is in itself of general- 



ly acknowledged importance, it serves at the same time 



to demonstrate, that some at least of the popular max. 



ims that prevail on the subject, are founded <m fact, and 



are in reality the lessons which are taught in the school 



of nature herself. 



It is far from our intention, by these remarks, to un- TO be cor- 

 dervalue the researches of the experimental philoso- rectcd by 

 phcr, or to insinuate that the study of meteorology hc jp ( ,ii. 

 should be confined to the collecti. n and arrangement CMlon of 

 of such phenomena as have been stated above. On the nu ' u ' rol - 



contrary, we admit, that these phenomena, of themselves, *. 

 can afford no accurate in form at ion, cither as to the na- mi-mi.* 

 ture or extent of atmospherical changes. They may 

 indicate these changes, but their indications are not 

 i.tihle of being correctly measured or definitely 

 expressed. They are the result of certain influences 

 exerted by the atmosphere in certain circumstances; 



