160 Meteorological Phenomena in 



pated when it arrives over the glowing city. If, on the contrary, 

 the atmosphere is very moist, already the absorption does not take place 

 — a long strip of cloud leans down from the top of the mountain, where 

 its first germ had formed itself, and the rain pours down. If the 

 air has lost its absorbing power, it will soon become saturated with 

 water. This is what takes place before a shower, and it is for this 

 reason they say in the Bernese Oberland, 



" Does the Riesen his rapier wear ? 

 Then it shews that rain is near ; 

 Is his cap upon his head ? 

 Then that shews the rain has fled." 



But these rules are only applicable to mountains whose points rise 

 boldly into the higher regions of the air, not to lesser heights on 

 our own German plains. If the moisture be already great enough 

 for it to take the form of clouds, then it will soon shew itself in the 

 shape of rain, and therefore they say in Thuringia of the Kyff hauser, 



" Has Frederick cast his crown away, 

 The weather will be fine to-day ; 

 If on his head his crown is set, 

 The weather soon will change to wet." 



"The mountains are heaving, the Bohemian mists are coming; it 

 will rain," they say in the Hazy Mountains. " The Zoblen is clear; 

 it will continue fine weather," they say in Silesia : and in England 

 the proverb is, 



" When the clouds are on the hills, 

 They will come down by the rills." 



In winter, clouds often conceal the dome of the GensdVrmes Tower ; 

 in. summer storms pass over the dark Aachorn, the Jungfrau, and 

 Mont Blanc. But what a difference there is between the fine drops 

 of winter rain, and the large splashes of a summer shower. If, 

 however, we ascend a mountain during this splashing rain, we shall 

 find that the higher we ascend the smaller the drops become ; higher 

 still we shall find only a mist ; at that height it is no more the cloud 

 which rains, but the whole stratum of air between the cloud and the 

 ground. This is so true, that upon the roof of the King's castle in 

 this place, only 18 inches of rain fall annually, whilst 20 inches 

 fall on the pavement of the castle-yard ; for a continually renewed 

 condensation of the mist of water takes place, and meeting with the 

 rain drops in their descent, makes them continually increase in size. 

 This applies equally to snow and hail, which do not therefore pro- 

 duce the destruction which we should expect from the size of the 

 grains if they fell down from a considerable height. If a crow, for 

 example, were to slip down the steep roof of a church at the begin- 

 ning of a thaw, the descending snowball would become at last a little 

 avalanche. But did the crow cast it down ; those must believe so 

 who ascribe the rain to clouds alone. 



