152 METHODS OF FOKECASTING THE WEATHER. 



There are man\' widely difi'crent iiiethod.s Ijy Avhicb the various 

 classes and kinds of weather prophets carr}' on the work of weather 

 forecasting. There are those who make use of the behavior of animals 

 to foretell the weather; hunters wdio recognize the character of the 

 approaching season from the actions of the wild animals; the observers 

 of birds, spiders, crickets, ants, and other animals, from whose conduct 

 they judge of the approaching weather. But in addition to this class 

 which utilizes living animals there is another opposing class that pre- 

 fers to make use of the dead substances of the animal or vegetable 

 kingdoms, such as hairs, strings of instruments, roots and fibers of 

 plants; by means of their expansions or contractions, either with the 

 aid of little weather houses and figures or without them, they recog- 

 nize the coming weather. Others prefer to consult stones and walls 

 as to the character of the Aveather to be expected, and turn rather to 

 inorganic nature in order to learn from the "sweating'' or dryness of 

 these whether to expect rain or continued fine w^eather. Thus, as you 

 see, all the kingdoms of nature arc drawn upon to furnish prognostics 

 of the weather, and it may depend upon the occupations and predilec- 

 tions of the various persons interested in the coming weather whether 

 the}' give the preference to one or the other. But I had almost for- 

 gotten to mention another class — perhaps the largest — those who are 

 not to be satisfied by any one of the three kingdoms nor even by all 

 three together, and who rely onl}^ on their own bodies for foretelling 

 the weather — assuming, of course, that these have nerves, joints, and 

 corns. Sometimes it is the stomach and sometimes even the head that 

 is made use of. 1 am not joking in the least; on the contrary, the 

 persons inclined to this kind of weather forecasting excite ni}^ sincere 

 commiseration. 



If these classes of weather prophets who inidertake to foretell the 

 weather l)}^ the sensations of their bodies, by obsei'vations of the ani- 

 mal and vegetalde kingdoms, and even l)y the processes of inorganic 

 nature, alwa3's rely upon facts which may have a distant connection 

 with the weather, yet they are still far ])ehind that class which forms 

 its conclusions of the approaching weather from observations of the 

 weather conditions themselves. You are all well acquainted with this 

 latter class of weather prophets. In ever}^ community there is at least 

 one person who is especially relied upon, whether he be a farmer, a 

 miller, a teacher, or a pastor of long standing. They look up at the 

 sky, observe the clouds and the direction of their motion, and from 

 these they forecast the weather for the next day, with good results. 

 These local weather prophets rely indeed upon phenomena which have 

 the closest connection with the coming weather. For the weather does 

 not spring like a Deus ex Machina down from a distant cuckoo's nest 

 in the clouds, but is drawn from comparatively near regions, or, if 

 you prefer, forms gradually in the place itself. This coming, this 



