TRUE WEATHER PROPHETS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 593, 17 December 1920, Page 4

TRUE WEATHER PROPHETS.

Plants and animals are the weather prophets nature has provided man with. Dandelions always fold up their leaves when rain is at hand. So do clover, trefoil, and the pimpernel. The apparent aimless braying of donkeys is a sure indicator of rain. AH animals show "uneasiness when rain is coming. Frogs croak with a loud, hoarse noise, owls screech, peacocks scream, and ducks and geese are unusually noisy. This is said to be due to the relaxation of their nerves by the damp air, which makes them uneasy. Cats sneeze and wash their ears when rain threatens, although the deluge may not come for four or iive hours later. Dogs get restless, and are in and out of the house an houi or so before rain comes. This is said to be due to irritation set up by the damp air. It is somewhat extraoi dinary, but man is the only animal that cannot naturally perceive approaching rain unless he happens to have rheumatic tendencies.