26 WASTE-LAND WANDERINGS. 



and again — 



" When it thumps its ribs with its tail, 

 Look out for thunder, lightning, hail." 



As is now pretty well known, a short time before a 

 shower in summer there is often a highly electrical 

 condition of the atmosphere, which makes all animals 

 more or less uneasy. Therefore, the lashing of the tail, 

 if not merely to brush away flies, may refer to this 

 uneasiness, and so, too, the ears may be more sensitive 

 than the general surface of the body. This is a proba- 

 ble explanation, but, after all, it is not proved that the 

 cow- at such a time suffers as much from it as is sup- 

 posed; nor is it easy to see how the flagellation of a 

 very insignificant part of the body can ease a painful 

 sensation common to the entire surface. On the other 

 hand, it is certain that flies and other troublesome in- 

 sects are sensitive to atmospheric changes, even a slight 

 lowering of the temperature, such as no mammal would 

 appreciate ; and for an hour or two before a shower, for 

 this reason, they congregate in extraordinary numbers 

 about animals — horses and cows particularly. I have 

 thought that they seek the cows for warmth when the 

 air suddenly cools; and is it not more than probable 

 that the nervousness on the part of the animal, shown 

 by frantic efforts to scratch its ears with its hind-feet 

 and the lashing of its tail, has to do with the excess of 

 irritation caused by innumerable flies, and not with any 

 unusual electrical titillation ? If so, the cow's action is 

 still indicative of an approaching change in the weather, 

 and so far may be claimed as a sign of such change ; but 



