LIVING BAROMETERS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VIII, Issue 438, 27 February 1875, Page 3

LIVING BAROMETERS.

The following is from the "Scientific American " :—": — " That is a curious instinct which a large number of animals possess ; of predicting the weather, and signifying the approaching change by peculiar movements or sounds. Some of their actions in this respvet appear to be more governed by reason than by mere instinct, others are clearly due to the moisture in the air or various atmospheric influences, while some, which occur under conditions which prevent their being referred to the latter cau^e, offer an interesting field for the investigations of the naturalists. The presence of the barometer in almost every farmhouse, together with the weather bulletin or the dictum of " Old Probabilities," good for the next twenty-four hours, render such homely knowledge as that "which governed the labors of the farmers and sailors of the last century almost superfluous in this advanced age ; but the subject, like all topics which relate to the sagacity of the lower animals, is of itself an interesting one. And, besides, it is not entirely impossible that some farmer to whom the barometer, if he had one, would be incomphrensible, and whose location prevents his obtaining the weather reports,' may, by some odd action of his own cattle, of some insect, or of some bird, as described in the following lines, be forwarned of a coming storm in time, and save perhaps a crop during the present harvest months. We have said that certain movements on the part of the animals, before a change of weather, appeared to indicate a reasoning faculty. Such seems to be the case with the common garden spider, which, on the approach of windy or rainy weather, will be found to strengthen the supporting guys of his web, lengthening the same when the storm is over. There is a popular superstition in England that it is unlucky for an angler to meet a single magpie, but two of the birds together is a good omen. The reason is that the birds foretell the coming of cold or stormy weather ; and then, instead of their searching for food for -their young in pairs, one will always remaiu on the nest. Sea gulls predict storms by assembling on the land, as they know that the rain will bring earthworms and larvse to the surface. This, however, is mertly a search for food, and is due to the same instinct which teaches the swallow to fly high in fine weather, and skim along the ground when foul is coining. They simply follow the flies and knats which -remain in the warm strata of the air. The different tribes of wading birds always migrate before rain, likewise to hunt for food. There is a large variety of actions of which it is hardly possible to give a satisfactory explanation. Coming rain is foretold by the peacock uttering frequent cries, by the woodpecker lamenting, by paroquets babbling, by pintados perching, and by geese running around uneasily. So also it is said that, when a storm is at hand, swine will carry hay and straw to hiding places, oxen will lick themselves the wrong way of the hair, sheep will bleat and skip about, hogs turned out in the woods will conio home grunting and squealing, colts will rub their backs against the ground, cows will gather in crowds, dickers will sing more loudly, flies come into th<» house, fmgs croak aud change color to a dingier line, dogs eat grass, and rooks soar like hawks. It is probable that many of these actions are due to actual uneasiness, siluitar~ta that which all who are troubled with corns or rheumatism experiei.ee before a storm, and are caused both by the variation in barometer pressure and tho changes in the electrical condition of the atmosphere.

In one of Lover's Irish stories, the narrator, describing the feats of a very konwing fox, tells how Master Reynard entered a cottage, sat down by the fire, and took up a Roscommon journal. ' ' Oh, aisy," cried a listener — "a fox read the paper ! I am not going to believe that." "To be sure," replied the other — " If a fox doseu't read the newspapers, how is he to know where the hounds meet ?"

Omens. — Knowing old gent (who has given the " bare fare ") — " Why what's the distance, there's the second milestone just the other side of the cemetery. I know the road well !" Cabby — " Oh, do yer ; but (solemnly) look'e 'ere, mark my words ! recollect you've been a ridin' today be'ind a single vite 'orse vith a short tail!" Old gent (startled)— " What do you mean ? — White horse !" Cabby (prophetically) — "Vy, the. next time you travels this road, praps 't'll bs behind four long tailed black 'uns at th' expense o' your resid-o-ry legatee !"

The following paragraph from the " Age " refers to a brother of Mr. George Heath of Havelock, Otago, and son of Mr. James Heath farmer of Wyndham Victoria 1 . — The late Mr. James John Heath, drill-instructor of the Bal'arat Rangers, was sergeant of the 55 th Regiment Light Infantry, and was present at the battle of Inkerman, where he was wounded, also at the storming of the Redan and taking of Sebastopol. Out of fourteen hundred men he was one of sixty-six which composed the regiment on its return to Ireland. He received the Turkish war medal, the Crimean medal, Inkerman and Sebastopol clasps for valor. He has been drill instructor in the Victorian force ten years, and died at his residence in Ballarat on Thursday last of consumption, at the age of forty-three. He leaves a wife and three children." The Ballarat Courier reports the funeral as follows: — "The funeral of the Drill-in-structor Heath, of the 8.V.R., took place yesterday afternoon, the body being interred in the Ballara' Old Cemetery. The Rev Mr. Wm. Henderson, as chaplain of the corps, read the funeral service at the grave, but the deceased was a member of the Church of England. The deceased received a military funeral, and a large number of the volunteers attended, Major Smith being in command. The usual volleys were fired over the grave at the conclusion of the interment, which was witnessed by a large concourse of civilians. Heath served for 10 years in the 55th Regiment, and was subse-

quently for three years sergeant and drillinstructor of the Essex Rifle Volunteers. He took part in the Crimean war, and fought at the battle of Inkerman, and in the trenches before Sebastopol. He was shot-in the leg at Inkerman, and severely frost-bitten while serving in the trenches. He had the medal and clasps for Inkerman and Sebastopol, and the Turkish war modal for his services generally during the Russian war. He came to the CoJony in 1864, and was at once appointed drillinstructor to the North Melbourne Rifles, and was subsequently attached to the Creswick and Clunes companies, with which he remained for seven years, and about two years since was transferred to the B.V.R. The deceased was in his forty-third year, and died from paralysis.