96 
ANIMAL CURIOSITIES 
source of enjoyment to watch them as they 
skim alongside the parapets of the bridges 
crossing the Thames, and deftly catch the 
offerings of food that the city workers throw 
to them. 
Seagulls, moreover, are able to foretell a 
change in the weather, and their powers in 
such respect are officially recognized by the 
Meteorological Office, the various observers 
who send in their reports to that body being 
instructed to watch the movements of the 
feathered prophets. When the birds fly in¬ 
land, stormy weather is likely to ensue ; 
but if they travel out to sea, settled condi¬ 
tions are indicated. 
That many other living creatures are endowed 
with an instinct that enables them to foretell 
a coming change in the state of the atmos¬ 
phere is a well-known fact. Sheep will gather 
together at the approach of a storm and take 
shelter under trees and hedges. They appear 
to be able to judge to a nicety whether the 
disturbance is going to break in their imme¬ 
diate neighbourhood; and if it is likely to 
pass over, no matter how black the sky may 
be, they take little notice of the threatening 
outlook. The movements of horses and cows 
at pasture in the fields are also indicative 
of weather changes. The former leave the 
