The barometer falls for southerly wind, including from southeast by south to the westward, for wet weather, for stronger wind, or for more than one of these changes, except on a few occasions, moderate wind, with rain or snow, comes from the northward.
COWS TELL RAIN.
A sign of coming rain or strong wind is evident when a herd of cows gather together at one end of a pasture, with their tails to windward. Again, when cows are unusually frisky—so that sedate old grandmother cows caper about the field and butt imaginary objects with their horns, while they fling up their heels—often storms are in the air.
Cows are sometimes thus playful in the witching hours of twilight, to the terror of nervous ladies who must cross their pastures.
But when in twilight cows follow one another along a field path unpleasantly close and gambol unpleasantly around one, fear of a storm need not necessarily add terror to the situation. For cows are very inquisitive, and in the dusk of twilight like to make careful investigation of strangers, without meaning any offense.
Cows show a sign of heat and its accompaniment, annoying insects, when they thus collect together, rubbing themselves against each other, and one might read in this a sign of fair weather ahead.
FIRE AS A BAROMETER.
Willsford, in his “Nature’s Secrets” (1658), tells us:
“When our common fires do burn with a pale flame, they presage foul weather. If the fire do make a huzzing noise, it is a sign of tempests near at hand. When the fire sparkleth. very much, it is a sign of rain. If the ashes on the hearth do dodder together of themselves, it is a sign of rain. When pots are newly taken off the fire, if they sparkle (the soot upon them being incensed), it presages rain.
“When the fire scorcheth, and burneth more vehemently than it useth to do, it is a sign of frosty weather; but if the living coals do shine brighter than commonly at other times, expect then rain. If wood or any other fuel do crackle more than ordinary, it is an evident sign of some tempestuous weather neer at hand; the much and suddain falling of soot presages rain.”