weather; and a low state of evaporation, indi- 
cates a southerly wind and rainy weather. 
Prognostics by the Heavenly Bodies.—The sun 
rising of an orange colour portends rain; his 
rising of a red and fiery colour, portends rain 
and wind; his rising unclouded, and emitting a 
scorching heat from his rays, portends speedy 
cloudiness and perhaps rain; his rising with a 
few grey clouds, which decrease and dissipate, 
portends a fine day and fair weather; and his 
rising with a dim and hazy disc, portends drizzly 
weather. When the sun’s light is dim, or when 
it gradually loses its brightness till his disc be- 
comes whitish and ill defined, rain may certainly 
be expected; and when his light, after rain, 
though it be sufficiently clear and luminous, is 
| of a watery transparent hue, rain willsoon again 
fall. 
When sunshine has a scorching and ener- 
vating effect on man, during the greater part of 
| the day, the next day will be cloudy and perhaps 
rainy. When the sun wades through clouds of 
any kind, rain may or may not follow; when he 
wades through clouds which of themselves indi- 
cate rain, rain will more certainly follow than if 
the clouds were the only indication of its ap- 
proach; and when, at the time of his wading, he 
_ is surrounded with a coloured corona, rain will 
most certainly follow. 
A halo round the disc of 
the sun almost always portends rain. The sun 
setting ofa dull blackish colour, or of a blue colour, 
or with the accompaniments which are popularly 
called foul, portends rain; his setting of a white 
colour, or going down into a dusky bank of clouds, 
portends the approach and continuance of bad 
weather ; his setting of a dusky colour, streaked 
with red, portends a storm; and his setting of 
a purple colour, or with a bright disc, or with a 
red and brilliant appearance, or his going down 
red and blazing amongst brilliant clouds, por- 
tends fine weather. 
A dimness in the light of the stars, and the 
visibility of very few stars at one time when 
The moon’s situation. 
WEATHER. 
Nature of the moon’s situation. 
643 
there is no frost, are indications of rain. A dim- 
ness in the light of the moon, a halo or circle 
round her disc, and haziness in the air during 
moonlight, are indications of rain; a redness in 
the colour of the moon, portends wind; and a 
clear silvery aspect of the moon, with a silveriness 
in her light, foretells fair weather. When the 
new moon appears so early as to be like “the 
paring of a nail,” rain will follow; when the new 
moon is faintly subtended by the whole disc of 
the old, or appears “with the old one in her 
arms,’ stormy weather may be expected; when 
the new moon does not appear till the fourth day, 
the whole month will be more or less rainy ; 
when the new moon is bright, and has sharp 
horns, she foretells fair weather; when the new 
moon has blunt horns, she foretells rain; when 
her lower horn is sullied, foul weather will occur 
before the full; when her middle is sullied, storms 
will occur about the full; and when her upper 
horn is sullied, foul weather will occur about the 
wane. 
“¢ In the wane of the moon, 
A cloudy morning bodes a fair afternoon.” 
** New moon’s mist 
Never dies of thirst.” 
‘* But four nights old (for that’s the surest sign), 
With sharpened horns, if glorious then she shine, 
Next day, not only that, but all the moon, 
*Till her revolving race be wholly run, 
Are void of tempests.” 
When rain falls during the greater part of the 
course of a moon, the weather will clear up at 
the ensuing change, and rain will probably fall 
in a few days after, and continue; and when fair 
weather prevails throughout the course of a 
moon, and is followed by rain at the change, fine 
weather will probably be restored about the 
fourth or fifth day of the new moon, and be of 
some duration. The following table shows the 
probabilities of a change of weather at or after 
each of the moon’s situations throughout an 
entire revolution in her orbit. 
Chances that 
the weather 
will change. 
New moon, When she exerts her influence in conjunction with the sun, 6 to 1 
First quarter, When she is 90° distant from the sun, 3 to 2 
Full moon, When she exerts her influence in opposition to the sun, 5 to 2 
Third quarter, When she is in the middle point of her orbit, being at Bir A 
distant from the points of conjunction and opposition, 
Perigee, When she is at the least distance from the earth, 7 tol 
Apogee, When she is at the greatest distance from the earth, 4 to 1 
The ascending equinox, When she is crossing the equator towards the north, 13 to 4 
The descending equinox, When she is crossing the equator towards the south, ll to4 
The northern or boreal Junistice, When she approaches nearest to our zenith during the 
period that intervenes between one new moon and 11 to 4 
another, : 
The southern or austral lunistice, When she is at the greatest distance from our zenith, 3 to 1 
The following table professes to show the kind 
of weather which will follow every new moon 
and every quarter of the moon, according to the 
hour at which the change takes place; but 
though it is a fair approximation to correctness, 
and possesses considerable value, and is inserted 
in almost every almanac, and has been commonly 
though erroneously ascribed to the greatest as- 
tronomer of the last generation, Sir William 
Herschell, yet it is often falsified in its predic- 
tions by the many disturbing and antagonist 
influences which control the influence of the 
moon’s attraction. When the moon changes, or 
becomes full, or enters her first or third quarter 
4 
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