_ more ny 
_ swallows fly on the leeward side of trees. 
640 
ly restless, and forsake the fields and diiches, 
—cocks crow at unusual hours, and often flap 
their wings,—hens chuckle,—ducks and geese 
are unusually clamorous, and fly backwards and 
forwards, and frequently plunge into water,— 
pigeons wash themselves, and return slowly to 
their houses,—peacocks squall loudly from trees, 
—the guinea fowl makes a constant grating cla- 
mour,—sparrows chirp loudly and clamorously, 
and assemble in crowds on the ground or in the 
hedge,—swallows fly low, and skim their wings 
in water,—the carrion crow croaks solitarily, and 
is late in roosting, water wild-fowl oftener 
than usual dip and wash,—moles are busier than 
usual in throwing up their hills—frogs croak 
more than usual, and toads issue from their re- 
treats in great numbers,—bats begin to squeak 
and enter houses,—the singing birds take shel- 
ter,—the robin approaches very near the dwell- 
ings of man,—tame swans fly against the wind, 
—bees cautiously leave their hives, and fly but 
short distances,—ants are busily engaged in car- 
rying their eggs,—flies severely sting, and be- 
come troublesome,—numerous earthworms crawl 
about on the surface of the ground,—the larger 
sort of snails appear,—and all sorts of insects are 
more than usually stirring. 
When fair or fine weather is approaching, or 
may be expected to continue, cattle lie in the 
open field or in the courts instead of the sheds, 
—sheep lie on the brow of a knoll during the 
night,—pigs lie down for the night on the top 
of their litter,—peacocks roost on the tops of 
houses,—the raven sails round and round high 
up in the air,—singing birds carol till late in 
the evening,—the corn-crake utters his peculiar 
cry among corn or grass,—the partridge calls in 
the evening to his mate,—kites hover high in 
| the air,—larks rise high, and sing long,—red- 
_ breasts sing loud in the open air,—small flies 
flock together in great numbers about the beams 
_ of the sun a little before it sets,—snipes boom 
in the air during the evening,—gnats form a 
vortex in the shape of a column,—spiders’ webs 
are on the ground, or float in the air,—bats fly 
erously than usual, and early i in the 
evening,—and One worms appear in unusual 
| numbers. 
When high winds are approaching, cattle frisk 
and jump and toss their heads,—sheep frisk and 
leap and box one another in sport,—hogs squeal, 
and carry straw in their mouth,—cats scratch 
trees or posts,—geese expand or flap their wings, 
_ and seem as if trying to fly,—pigeons, in flying, 
| smartly clap their wings behind their back,— 
| crows make somersets in the air, and at the same 
_ time are unusually noisy,—magpies assemble in 
small flocks, and utter a chattering noise,—and 
And 
when a storm or tempest is approaching, por- 
poises come in great numbers near the shore,— 
sea-gulls come in flocks on the land, and make a 
noise upon the sea-board,—and the merle-thrush, 
WEATHER. 
popularly called the storm-cock, sings loud and 
long. 
Several single species of animals, such as sheep, 
spider 8, ants, and leeches, indicate very delicately 
and in very various ways great and different ap- 
proaching changes of weather. In the moun- 
tainous district of Derbyshire around the Peak, 
when sheep wind up the hills in the morning to 
their pasture and feed near the tops, the weather, 
though at the time cloudy and drizzling, will 
clear away by degrees and pass into a fine day; 
but when they feed in the bottoms, the cloudi- 
ness and drizzling will increase into rain, and 
the wetness of the weather will continue. And 
in other districts, whether lowland or upland, 
many actions and habits of all sheep, but spe- 
cially those of the most distinctive breeds, may 
be so studied by an intelligent shepherd as to 
serve nearly all the purposes of a true and nice 
barometer.—The webs of garden spiders are 
broken off and destroyed on the approach of rain 
or of showery weather ; and the light spider webs 
called gossamer fly in autumn with a south wind 
on the approach of east winds or of fine weather. 
“If the weather is likely to become rainy or 
windy,” we are told, “spiders fix the terminat- 
ing filaments on which the whole web is suspend- 
ed unusually short. If the terminating filaments, 
on the contrary, are very long, the weather will 
be serene, and continue so for fourteen days. If 
spiders be totally indolent, rain generally en- 
sues; though their activity during rain is a cer- 
tain proof of its short duration, and that it will 
be followed by fine and settled weather. Spiders 
usually make some alteration in their websevery - 
twenty-four hours. If this take place between 
the hours of 6 and 7 Pp. M., 
and serene night.”—As to ants, a celebrated na- 
turalist relates that he one day observed these 
little creatures, after having brought out their 
corn at eleven in the forenoon, removing the 
same, contrary to their usual custom, before one 
in the afternoon. The sun being very hot, and 
the sky remarkably clear, he could perceive no 
reason for it; but halfan hour after, his surprise 
ceased,—the sky began to be overcast, and there 
fella shower of rain, which caused all this bustle, 
no doubt, among these active little creatures. 
They evidently foresaw rain, and provided ac- 
cordingly. And were we minutely to examine 
into the economy and management of these won- 
derful artificers, many other similar and equally 
curious facts might be gleaned relative to the 
weather.—As to the leech, “in fair and frosty 
weather, it remains motionless and rolled up in 
a spiral form at the bottom of the vessel. Pre- 
vious, however, to rain or snow, it will creep to 
the top, where, should the rain be heavy, or of 
long continuance, it will remain for a considera- 
ble time,—if transient, it will descend. Should 
the rain or snow be accompanied with wind, it 
will dart about with great velocity, and seldom 
cease its evolutions until it blows hard. If a 
it foretells a clear | 
