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NEW YORK CITY AND ROCHESTER, N. Y. 
J 41 Pnrh Row, New York. 
OrriCBS. } 83 Butlttlo St., Rochester. 
YOL. XXI. NO. 15. 
FOR THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, APRIL 0,1870. 
WHOLE NO. 1055, 
Entered according to Act of Congress^ m the year i -,". bf n. n. r. MoORE. in the Clerk’s Office at the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York.] 
Ittctrarologrcitl. 
NEW CLASSIFICATION OF CLOUDS. 
Instruction* to lit' Used iu the Observation of 
Clouds, nml of the Inferior ttntl Jtqperior 
Currents of the Atmosphere i Specially Re- 
sijrued for AKi'teulturistM nml Hen men. 
BY TROP. ANDRE POEY. 
Director of the Observatory of Havana. 
they are derived, although generally the 
edges of the small agglomerations or of the 
entire mass of cloud is transformed into 
Cirro-stratus, wherever, by a greater eleva¬ 
tion or a lower temperature, the congelation 
is more vigorous. Their motion is also 
more rapid, their color slightly grayish, and 
they may moreover be tinged rose-color, or 
rather become reddish. 
etc.; there, a river, brooks, lakes, etc.; fur¬ 
ther on, vast continents and open seas. The 
entire mass and the outlines of each of these 
accidents arc besprinkled with Cirro-cumu¬ 
lus, sometimes edged with Cirro-stratus, of 
which the volumes of little balls are seen 
diminishing and vanishing from center to 
circumference, while at the side, in the 
empty spaces, we perceive the purest azure 
degrees of density and of temperature, in or¬ 
der that the congelation of aqueous vapor 
may take place iu so variable a manner. 
The influence of (Hrro-cumvlm upon the 
lowering of the temperature at. the surface 
of the earth is so considerable that the hu¬ 
man body feels it at once. A, curdled sky at 
the new moon of a calm night in the tropics 
is a sky relatively glacial for these latitudes. 
[Continued from puge 137, Rural February 26.1 
II.— CIRRO-STRATUS (HOWARD.) 
Thread-cloudy (See Engraving.)— How ard’s 
Civ rostra tus is distinguished from the pure 
Cirrus by its filaments being smaller, more 
compact, more ramified and, so to say, com¬ 
pletely stratified. They are lower, more 
dense, for often the sun's rays pierce them 
with difficulty. Their whitish tint is clearer, 
and it also becomes rose-color in similar 
circumstances. Their motion is a little more 
rapid. When, at the horizon, we only seeing 
the vertical projection, they take the ap¬ 
pearance of a long and very narrow band. 
Howard says: 
“ This cloud appears to result from the 
subsidence of the libers of the Cirrus to a 
horizontal position, at the same time that 
they approach each other laterally. The 
form and relative position, when seen in the 
distance, frequently give the idea of shoals of 
lisb. Yet in this, as in other instances, the 
structure must be attended to rather than the 
form, which varies much, presenting at times 
the appearance of parallel bars, or inter¬ 
woven streaks like the grain of polished 
wood. It is thick in the middle, and exten¬ 
uated towards the edge. The distinct ap¬ 
pearance of a Cirrus, however, does not 
always precede the production of this and 
the last modification. 
“ The Cirro-stratus precedes wind and 
rain, the near or distant approach of which 
may sometimes be estimated from its greater 
or less abundance and permanence. It is 
almost always to be seen in the intervals of 
storms. Sometimes this and the (Urro-cwnm- 
lus appear together in the sky, and even al¬ 
ternate with each other in the same cloud, 
when the different evolutions which ensue 
are a curious spectacle; and a judgment 
may be formed of the weather likely to 
ensue by observing which modification pre¬ 
vails at last. The Cirro-stratus is the modi¬ 
fication which most frequently exhibits the 
phenomena of the Solar and Lunar halo, 
and (as supposed from a few observations) 
the Parhelion and Paraselene also. Ilcnce, 
the reason of the prognostic of foul weather, 
—commonly drawn from the appearance of 
Halo. The frequent appearance of Halo in 
this cloud may he attributed to its possess¬ 
ing great extent, at such times, w'itli little 
perpendicular depth, aud the requisite con¬ 
tinuity of substance. 
“This modification is, on this account, 
more peculiarly worthy of investigation.” 
m.—CIRRO-CUMULUS (HOWARD.) 
Curdled Cloud , (Sec Engraving.) — It is 
sufficient that the Cirro-stratus sink a little, 
or that the temperature of the region they 
occupy be slightly elevated, in order that 
the frozen aiglets may be reduced to snow, 
and give birth in consequence to Howard’s 
Cirro-cumulus. In the first place the axes 
of the strm grow round ; then, by degrees, 
the entire stratification becomes so, until it, 
forms little balls or corded cotton which we 
call frizzled clouds of curdled sky, (in French, 
montonnes or pommclej when it is completely 
covered; in Spanish, cido empedrado. On 
the contrary, if the Cirro-cumulus are ele¬ 
vated a little, or if the temperature is lowered, 
they return to the superior type of Cirro- 
N stratus. The little halls of snow are con- 
- gealed and crystallized anew into aiglets. 
, The Cirro-cumulus are more dense and 
lower than the Cirro-stratus, from which 
■YM niS Vi/Pi 
rngm tfac 
M IPS i%^M m. w M -Vi. %% a/..SKI 
h,w a fj 1 rf M W JW r-:i£ i M 7i U i i&J’fc 
* M££ ¥* MB 7 k Mm 
Pl. I .—a, h, c, d, c, f, a, Nascent Formation. i l. ii.- 
OIRRO-STRATU8. (HOWARD.) 
Pn. II.—a, h, c, d, c, Partial Formation; /, Perfect Formation. 
ICE CLOUDS. 
The Cirro-stratus , hut more especially the 
Cirro-cumulus, are remarkable by reason of 
a characteristic of the highest importance, 
from the point of view, of the distribution of 
congealed aqueous vapor, and one which has 
escaped the sagacity of Howard and bis 
of I he heavens. (Plate III., 8.) Should it be a 
lake, the water will he represented by the 
blue sky and terra finna by the Cirro-cumu¬ 
lus which surrounds it. IJy carefully study¬ 
ing all these transformations, we remark in 
them the greatest analogy with the phe- 
Tliis effect may be due to their greater 
proximity and to the considerable quantity 
of bulls of snow which constitute this type of 
Cloud. The Omits being found much more 
elevated and the Cirro-stratus much less 
abundant, although both are formed of gla- 
> w 4 
W J W ^ 
H r I = 
S’ ’ i ® 1 
ijpfp 
; ' 
* -in T ^ 
ii 
a,?- M 
W 1 
T' , J 1 - 1 - I 
Pl. III.—1, Perfect Type; 2, Bizarre Form. Pl. IV.—3, Irregular Form. 
CIRJRO -CUMULUS. (HOWARD.) CURDLED SKY. 
successors. It consists in the most fantasti- nomcna of the precipitation and congelation cial aiglets, have not the same influence upon 
cal combinations, reproducing all the forma- of dew upon solid bodies. There is, there- the terrestrial temperature. Howard says: 
tions, hydrological and physical, of our con- fore, at this altitude, in the same stratum, “The Cirro-cumulus is formed from a 
tinents and seas. Here, a deep bay with i and one after the other, so to say, some por- Cirrus, or from a number of small separate 
promontories, capes, peninsulas, isthmuses, | tions of the atmosphere enjoying different. Cirrus by the fibers collapsing, as It were, 
“ The Cirro-cumulus is formed from a 
Cirrus, or from a number of small separate 
Cirrus by the fibers collapsing, as It were, 
and passing into small, roundish masses, in 
which the texture, ol the Cirrus is no longer 
discernible; although they still retain some¬ 
what of their relative arrangement. Tliis 
change takes place either throughout the 
whole mass at once, or progressively from 
one extremity to the other. In either case 
the same effect is produced on a number of 
adjacent Cirrus at the same time and in the 
__ same order. It appears in some 
instances to he accelerated by the 
S :(' approach of other clouds. 
“ This modification forms a very 
g beautiful sky, sometimes cxbibit- 
-,jjg5 ing numerous dist inct beds of these 
small connected clouds, floating at 
different altitudes. 
“ The Cirro-cumulus is frequent¬ 
ly seen in summer, and is attendant 
on warm and dry weather. It is 
also occasionally and more spar- 
H*,' ingly seen in the intervals of show¬ 
ers, and iu winter. It may either 
evaporate or pass to the Cirrus or 
. i Cirro-stratus. 1 ' 
TV.—PALLIUM. (POEY.) (vel Ninl- 
» l)1IS., HOWARD.) 
Under the generic name of Pal- 
Hum, I have classed two forms of 
clouds, which present the appear 
® ance of a mantle or veil of consul- 
y£f -*' * 
. crahle extent, of very compact tex¬ 
ture, well defined at the edges, of 
an excessively slow march, and 
embracing, moreover the visible 
vault of the sky. According os 
P tlie Pallium is formed of Cirrus or 
of Cumulus, it is distinguished Into 
J'aUio-cirrus and Pallia - cumulus. 
The appearance of these clouds 
signalizes bad weather, and their 
_disappearance, good weather. 
tion The stratum of Pallio-cirrus is 
first formed, and some hours, or 
some days afterwards, that of Pal¬ 
lia - cumulus is formed under it. These 
two strata remain in view at a certain dis¬ 
tance from each other, and liy their recip¬ 
rocal action and re-aetion, produce storms 
and the heavier rains, accompanied with 
considerable electric discharges. They arc 
-— — — electrified, but with contrary signs; 
the superior stratum of Cirrus is 
• / - •_ negative, and the inferior one of 
. Cumulus is positive, the same as 
the rain which it disengages; widle 
the electricity of the air, at the sur¬ 
face of the earth, is negative. But 
when these two strata attract each 
other, a discharge is produced, and 
: = the inferior stratum continues to 
pour out the surplus water it con¬ 
tained without giving any sign of 
electricity, no more than the air in 
: contact with the earth. This state 
continues until the inferior stratum 
opens up, the superior afterwards, 
they then disappear, the one after 
the other. Fine weather then re¬ 
turns. The Pallium chicily pre¬ 
dominate during the rainy season, 
1 in inter-tropical regions, ami in the 
higher latitudes during winter, at 
\ _ 1: the time of falls of snow. A part 
. a of the PaUio-camulus, winch has 
not been reduced, or which has 
: ^ = not been scattered to other regions, 
•. gathers at the horizon,and is trans¬ 
ferred into the Cumulus. As to 
the Pallio-cirrus, they disappear 
entirely if fine weather is maiu- 
tained. Let us now see what arc 
§gB> J~ tlm inherent characters oftlie two 
" •"- Pallia .—[To be continued. 
[We shall he glad to receive 
from onu correspondents any re¬ 
el cord of mcterological phenomena which they 
: may observe; also any inquiries the answers 
a to which will tend to elicit facts and opin- 
e ions calculated to help our readers to become 
) more eritical observers and students ofnature 
Its 
