Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 13, MAT-MIC

7^2
Weather.
. 91
'Wind from
the moon.
9®
Fair wea¬
ther from
the moon.
93
Weather
from the
flats.
.
Sain from
the clouds.
95
Wind from
she clouds.
96
Sain from
strainbfcw.
METEOR
The evening red and morning gray,
Is the hire lign of a fair day.
Moon pale in colour, rain ; horns blunt at firft riling,
rain j horns blunt, at or within two or three days after
the change, denotes rain from that quarter 5 an iris with
a fouth wind, rain next day 5 wind fouth third night
after change, rain next day j the wind fouth, and the
inoon not feen before the fourth night, rain moft of
that month ; full moon in April, new and full moon
in Auguft, for moft part bring rain; mock moons are
the forerunners of great rains, land floods, and inun¬
dations.
Moon feeming greatly enlarged •, appearing of a red
colour •, horns lharp and blackiih ^ if included with a
clear and ruddy iris ; if the iris be double or feem to
be broken in parts, tempefts.
N. B. On the new moon, the wind for the moft part
changes.
When the moon, at four days old, has her horns
iharp, flie foretels a tempeft at fea, unlefs fhe has a
circle about her, and that too entire, becaufe, by that
Ihe {hews that it is not like to be bad weather, till it is
full moon.
Moon feeming to exhibit bright foots 5 a clear iris
with full moon ; horns fliarp fourth day, fair till full;
horns blunt at firft rifing, or within two or three days
after change, denotes rain for that quarter •, but fair
weather the other three quarters j moon clear three
days after change and before full, always denotes fair
weather. After every change and full, rains for the
raoft part, fucceeded by fair fettled iveather; moon
clear and bright, always fair weather.
Stars feeming large, dull, and pale of colour, rain j
or when their twinkling is not perceptible, or if encom-
paffed with an iris. In fummer, when the wind is at eaft,
and ftars feem greater than ufual, then expe<ft hidden
rain ; ftars appearing great in number, yet clear and
bright, feeming to fhoot or dart, denote fair w'eather in
fummer, and in winter froft.
In cloudy weather, when the wind falls, rain fol¬
lows } clouds growing bigger, or feeming like rocks or
towers fettling on tops of mountains 5 coining from the
fouth, or often changing their courfe; many in number
at north-weft in the even ; being black in colour from
the eaft, rain at night 5 but out of the weft, rain next
day ; being like fleece of wool, from the eaft, rain for
two or three days $ lying like ridges about mid day in
the fouth-weft, (hews great ftorms both of wind and
rain to be nigh. Clouds flying to and fro ; appearing
fuddenly from the fouth or weft ; appearing red, or ac¬
companied with rednefs in the air, efpecially in the
morning; beingof a leadifli colour in the north-weft;
fingle clouds c^note wind from w’henee they come ; but
if at funfet, clouds appear with golden edges, or di-
miniih in bulk, or fmall clouds link low, or draw
againft the wind, or appear fmall, white, and fcattered
in the north-weft (fuch as are vulgarly called macke-
rel) when the fun is high, thefe are figns of fair
weather.
N. B. It is often obferved, that though the mackerel
fky denotes fair weather for that day, yet for the moft
part, rain follows in a day or two after.
After a long drought, the rainbow denotes hidden
and heavy .rains; if green be the predominant colour, it
Z
O L O G Y. Chap. VI,
denotes rain, but if red, wind with rain; if the clouds Weather,
grow darker, rain ; if the bow feems broken, violentv'—v*—^
ftorms ; if appearing at noon, much rain; if in the
weft great rain, with thunder.
A. B. It is obferved, that if the laft week in Fe¬
bruary, and the firft fortnight of March, be moftly rainy,
and attended with frequent appearances of the bow, aivet
fpring and fummer may be expedled. ^
The rainbow appearing after rains, denotes fair wea- Fair wea¬
ther at hand, if the colours grow lighter, fair; if thed161 from
bow fuddenly difappears, fair ; if the bow appear in the r“n*
morning, it is the fign of fmall rains, followed by fair
weather; and if appearing at night, fair weather ; if
appearing in the eaft in the evening, fair; if the bow
appear double, it denotes fair weather at prefent but
rain in a few days; if in autumn, it continues fair for
two days after the appearance of the aurora borealis,
expedf fair weather for at leaft eight days more.
If miffs be attracted to the tops of hills then expeft Ra;n fron-.
rain in a day or two; if, in dry weather, they be ob- mifts.
ferved to afeend more than ufual, then expedt hidden
rain ; mifts in the new moon forefhew rain in the old •,
mifts alfo in the old moon denote rain ter happen in the
new ; a mifty white fcare, in a clear fky in the fouth-
eaft, is always a forerunner of rain.
If mifts dillipate quickly, or defeend after rain, it is Fair^wea-
a hire fign of fair weather; a general miff before fun- ther from
rihng near the full moon, denotes fair weather for about mitts,
a fortnight running. If after funfet or before hmrife,
a white miff arife from the waters and meads, it denotes
warm and fair weather next day. A mifty dew on the
infide of glafs windows fhews fair weather for that
day.
Wood fwelling, or ftones feeming to fweat; lute or pajn from
viol firings breaking; printed canvas or patted maps inanimate
relaxing; fait becoming moift ; rivers finking, or floods
fuddenly abating ; remarkable halo about the candle ;
great drynefs of the earth ; pools feeming troubled or
muddy ; yellow feum on the furface of ftagnant waters;
dandelion or pimpernel fhutting up; trefoil fwelling in
flalk, while the leaves bow down.
N. B. A dry fpring is always attended with a rainy
winter. ,or
Wind fhifting to the oppofite point; fea calm, with a Wind from
murmuring node ; a murmuring noife from the woods inanimate
and rocks when the air is calm; leaves and feathers
feeming much agitated; tides high when the ther¬
mometer is high; trembling or flexuous burning of
flames ; coal burning white rvith a murmuring noife;
thunder in the morning with a clear Iky ; thunder from
the north.
N. B. Whenfoever the tvind begins to fliift, it Avill
not reft till it come to the oppofite point; and if the
wind be in the north, it will be cold; if in the north-
eaft colder ; if in the fouth ; it brings rain ; but if in
the fouth-weft more rain. io2
The hidden clofing of gaps in the earth ; the remark- sjgns 0f
able riling of fprings or rivers ; if the rain begins an rain, cea»
hour or two before funrife it is like to be fair erefing*
noon; but if an hour or Iavo after funrife, it for the
moft part happens to continue all day and then to
ceafe ; when it begins to rain from the fouth Avith a
high Avind for two or three hours, and that the wind
falls, and it ftill continues raining, it is then like to,
continue for 13 hours or more, and then to ceafe.
& B,