Alfo when little clouds fink low, as into valleys at 
fouth-eaft, or fouth-weft, it is a fign of fair Weather. 
If the the tops of hills be clear, it is a fign of fair 
Weather. 
If there are to the north-weft white fcattering clouds, 
like fleeces of wool, it is a fign of fair Weather. 
When white clouds or mifts hang juft over rivers, and 
difperfe no farther, it is a fign of fair Weather. 
When a rainbow appears after a fhower, and the blue 
or yellow part of it be very bright, and the higheft co- 
lour, they are tokens of fair Weather. 
When bees fly far from their hives, and come home 
late, it is a fign of fair Weather. 
When there are great fwarms of gnats, it prefages fair 
Weather. 
Glow-worms fhinirig by night, are a fign of fair 
Weather. 
When kites fly aloft, it befpeaks fair dry Weather. 
The Lord Bacon gives this reafon for it; becaufe the 
kite mounts rnoft into the air of that temper wherein 
he delights ; for this afpiring bird does not fo much 
affed the groffnefs of the air, as the cold and frefh- 
nefs of it ; for being a bird of prey, and therefore 
hot, he delights in the freftt air. 
When fwallows fly high, it is a fign of fair Weather. 
When owls whoot much, it is a fign of fair Weather ; 
and though owls do always whoot much, both in wet 
and dry Weather, yet there is this difference, that their 
whooting is more clamorous in wet Weather, but 
more eafy and fedate in fair Weather. 
When halycyons, coots, and other fea fowls, leave 
the fliores, and flock to the fea, it is a fign of fair 
Weather. 
When cattle feed eagerly, without looking about 
them, it is a fign of fair Weather. 
When fifh rife frequently, and flirt upon the Water, 
it is a fign of fair Weather. 
Spiders webs in the air, or on the Grafs and trees, 
foretel much fair Weather. 
i. A thick dark fky, lafting for fome time, without 
either fun or rain, always becomes firft fair then foul, 
1. e. changes to a fair clear fky ere it turns to rain. 
Thus the Rev. Mr. Clarke, who kept a regifter of the 
Weather for thirty years, fince put into Dr. Derham’s 
hand, by his grandfon, the learned Dr. Samuel Clarke. 
This he fays he hardly ever knew to fail, at leaft when 
the wind was in any of the eafterly points •, but Dr. 
Derham has obferved the rule to hold good, be the 
wind where it will. 
The caufe is obvious. The atmofphere is replete 
with vapours, which, though fufficient to refled and 
intercept the fun’s rays from us, yet want denfity to 
defeend ; and while the vapours continue in the fame 
ftate, the Weather will do fo too. Accordingly fuch 
Weather is generally attended with moderate warmth, 
and little or no wind to difturb the vapours, and a 
heavy atmofphere to fuftain them, the barometer be- 
ing commonly high. But when the cold approaches, 
and by condenfing drives the vapours into clouds or 
drops, then way is made for the fun beams, till 
the fame vapours being by farther condenfation form- 
ed into rain, fall down in drops. 
2. A change in the warmth of the weather is generally 
followed by a change of the wind. Thus the nor- 
therly and l'outherly winds, commonly efteemed the 
caufes of cold or warm weather, are really the effeds 
of the cold or warmth of the atmofphere, of which Dr. 
Derham allures us he had fo many confirmations, that 
he makes no doubt of it. 
Thus it is common to fee a warm foutherly wind 
changed to the north, by the fall of fnow or hail ; or 
to fee the wind in a cold frofty morning north, 
when the fun has well warmed the earth and air, wheel 
toward the fouth, and again turn northerly or eafterly 
in the cold evening. 
Prognojiics of the Weather fry the wind . 
The winds, fays Mr. Pointer, are the caufes of the 
molt fudden and extraordinary alterations of the air. 
The nature of the winds' is fuch, that, by the expe- 
rience we have of them, we may very nearly predict 
whatWeather we fin all have for two or three days after. 
As for example : we know that in our climate a fouth 
wind generally brings rain, and a weft wind more ; 
and the weft wind is the predominant wind with us, 
becaufe the ocean lies on the weft fide of our country. 
And alfo that a north wind brings fair weather to us, 
as well as the eaft wind, which does not laft fo long 
as the north ; therefore the north-eaft and fouth-weft 
winds are thofe that are necelfary chiefly to be treated 
of. 
Some curious obfervers of the Weather have made 
this obfervation for many years ; That there is as 
much fouth and weft wind in eight years, as there are 
north and eaft winds, and of confequence as many 
wet years as dry ones. 
Mr. Pointer gives the following rules to know when 
the wind will fet in one of thefe two points, for the 
moft part, for two or three months together. 
Firft, as to the north-eaft wind : when the wind turns 
to the north-eaft point, and continues in it -two days 
without rain, and does neither turn to the fouth ward 
the third day, nor rain, then it is likely to continue 
eight or nine days without rain, and then to return 
into the fouth. 
If the wind turn out of the fouth into the north-eaft 
again, and continue two days in that point, and nei- 
ther rains nor turns to the fouth the third day, it is 
likely to continue north-eaft for two months, and for 
the moft part for three months. The wind will finifh 
thefe turns towards the' north in three weeks time. 
Secondly, as to the fouth-weft winds : when the wind 
has been in the north for two months or more, and 
comes to the fouth, there are ufually three or four fair 
days at firft, and then on the fourth or fifth day comes 
rain, or elfe the wind turns north, and continues ftill dry. 
If within a day or two without rain, it return into the 
fouth, and with rain, turn northward, and return into 
into the fouth the firft or fecond day, as before, two 
or three times together after this manner ; then it is 
like to be in the fouth or fouth-weft two or three 
months together, for the moft part, as it was in the 
north before. 
He does not mention the eaft or weft winds, becaufe 
he fays, the rains come ufually from the fouth, or, 
in the Drifting of the wind from the fouth to the 
north ; as for the drought, the wind is, for the moft 
part, north-eaft. 
If it prove fair weather out of the fouth for a week to- 
gether, which is not ufual, it is like to be a great 
drought, when it has rained a long time out of the 
fouth before. 
The wind ufually turns from the north to the fouth 
quietly without rain, but comes back again into the 
north with a ftrong wind and rain. 
The greateft winds, which blow down houfes and 
trees, ufually come by the turning of the wind out of 
the fouth by weft into the north, which drives away 
rain, and clears the air. 
Of Prognojiications of the Weather from the barometer . 
Dr. Derham prefents us with the following remarks 
1. That foggy Weather makes the mercury rife in 
the barometer, as well as the north wind, i he caufe 
he fuggefts, probably enough, to be the accdfion of 
the load of vapour to the former weight of the atmo- 
fphere. Mizzling Weather he likewife obferves to 
have the like effed. 
2. The colds and heats in England and Switzerland 
begin and end nearly about the fame time ; nay, and 
any remarkable weather, efpecially if it continues any 
while, affeds one place as well as the other. 
3. That the remarkably cold days in June 1708, were 
found in Switzerland to precede ours commonly about 
five days or more ; and that the remarkable heats in 
the following months begin to abate* in both places 
about the fame time, only fomewhat fconer here than 
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