140 Essay on the Indian Summer. 



Art. XVI. — Essay on the Indian Summer, read at a meeting of the 

 Maryland Academy of Sciences, by one of its members, Baltimore 

 Dec. 16, 1833. 



The following pages, contain a few observations, on that peculiar 

 and periodical appearance of the atmosphere, usually termed Indian 

 summer; in this essay, the writer has made a feeble attempt to ex- 

 plain some of the more prominent causes concerned in its produc- 

 tion — and to offer views, explanatory of the attending phenomena — 

 such as the smoky and reddish aspect of the sky, the increased tem- 

 perature, &;c. &c. 



Attention was directed to this investigation, in consequence of the 

 verbal notice taken by one of the members of this Academy, of a 

 paragraph contained in a late number of the American Journal of Sci- 

 ence, and which requested of some one of the correspondents of that 

 valuable work, an explanation of the causes of this occurrence. The 

 subject at once presented itself to the mind, as one of much interest; 

 and indeed excited astonishment that hitherto no written, or satisfac- 

 tory explanation had been made of a phenomenon, which, from its 

 regular appearance, obvious character, and marked duration — has 

 become familiar to almost every inhabitant of this country. The to- 

 tal silence of books, and consequent want of reference, is a sufficient 

 sipology for many imperfections — the writer was left to draw con- 

 clusions, wholly from his own reflections, on the more prominent and 

 attending facts, and of which there is no other record than memory. 



The term Indian summer, has been applied to that obscure and 

 hazy condition of the atmosphere, which usually occurs towards the 

 last of November, attended with a peculiar redness of the sky — an 

 absence of rain — and we might add an obviously increased tempera- 

 ture; which latter fact is in some degree significant of its name : — 

 probably the appellation of Indian, is derived from the circumstance 

 of this period of the year, being selected by the aborigines of the 

 country, as their hunting season, to which it is highly conducive, not 

 only on account of the plenty and perfection of the game, but also in 

 consequence of the haziness or obscurity of the air, which favors a 

 near, and unsuspected approach, to the object of pursuit : — The 

 New England tradition is, that the term Indian summer, is derived 

 from the prevalence of the south west wind at that time— and which 

 the Indians supposed to be sent as a peculiar favor from their good 

 deity Coutantowit, supposed to reside in that quarter. 



