CHAPTER XV.

975. Rainbow in the morning,Sailors take warning;Rainbow at night,Sailor’s delight.General in Canada and the United States.

976. A rainbow is a sign of showers.

Prince Edward Island.

977. Rain falling while the sun is shining indicates more showers.

Prince Edward Island and Northern Ohio.

978. Rain falling while the sun shines is a sign it will rain next day.

Methuen, Mass.

979. Rain falling while the sun is shining means that the devil is beating his wife with a codfish.

General in the United States.

980. Thunder in the morning,All the day storming;Thunder at nightIs the sailor’s delight.

981. Red at nightSailor’s delight;Red in the morning,Sailors take warning.Maine and Eastern Massachusetts.

982. Evening red and morning grayWill speed the traveler on his way.Evening gray and morning redWill bring the rain upon his head.Massachusetts, New York, and Ohio.

983. Evening red and morning gray,You’ll surely have a pleasant day.New York.

984. Red sun, hot day to-morrow.

985. High wind at dawn is a sign of a “civil” (calm) day.

Newfoundland.

986. Sun’s “hounds” (a sort of halo) before the sun denote dirty weather; after the sun, denote fine weather.

Scilly Cove, N. F.

In Prince Edward Island and the United States these halos are called “sun-dogs,” and are said to be a sign of coming rain.

987. Much snow during the winter denotes good crops next year.

New Harbor, N. F.

988. If the stars are scarce, big, and dull, it portends mild weather in winter. If large and bright, it portends frost in winter.

Newfoundland.

989. Stars twinkling are a sign of bad weather.

Labrador and New Harbor, N. F.

MOON.

990. When the moon is on the back, it denotes weather wet or mild; when on the end, it denotes frost.

Newfoundland.

991. Should the new moon lie on its back, it is a sign it will be dry that month, for the moon would hold water. The Indian says the hunter can hang his powder-horn upon it. But should the new moon stand vertically, it will be a wet month, for the moon will not hold water, and the powder-horn will slip off. Very many, however, reverse these signs.

New England, New York, and Ohio.

992. The Indians told the first settlers that if the moon lay well on her back, so that a powder-horn could be hung on the end, the weather during that moon will be dry.

Nova Scotia.

993. The moon changing in the west denotes that fine weather will prevail during that moon.

Bay Roberts, N. F.

994. If the moon changes near midnight there will be fine weather. The nearer to midnight, the finer the weather.

Conception Bay, N. F.

995. A disk or ring around the moon indicates bad weather (rain or snow).

Newfoundland.

996. A circle round the moon means rain. In some localities the number of stars inside the circle denotes the number of days until it will rain.

Prince Edward Island; general in the United States.

997. Where there is a ring around the moon, whichever way the ring opens; the wind will blow in. If it does not open there will be fine weather. The bigger the ring the nearer the bad weather.

Trinity Bay, N. F.

998. If the new moon is of light color, there will be a frost; if it is red, it will be mild for a month.

Bay Roberts, N. F.

999. The weather of the new moon governs the month’s weather.

Newfoundland.

1000. The weather of the new moon governs the first quarter and after that remains the same; therefore it governs the first half.

Conception Bay, N. F.

1001. The moon being red near midnight, with blunted corners or horns, portends mild weather that month. If the corners are white and sharp, there will be frosty weather.

Conception Bay, N. F.

1002. If there is a star before the moon, the weather will be calm; if the star is behind the moon, the weather will be stormy.

New Harbor, N. F.

RAIN.

1003. A load of barrels foretells wet weather.

Eastern Massachusetts.

1004. When the Brothers (Catholic theological students) turn out in a procession it will rain soon.

Baltimore, Md.

1005. When a great many women are seen on the street, it will rain next day.

Bedford, Mass.

1006. When you blow out the candle, if the fire on the wick burns bright, it means a fair day on the morrow; if it dies down on being blown out, it indicates a rainy day.

Plymouth, O.

1007. When long cirrus clouds or “cow’s tails” are seen, it means rain.

Lewisburg, Pa.

1008. Cobwebs on the grass for three mornings running are a sign of wet.

1009. If there is no dew on the grass at night, it will rain the next day.

General in the United States.

1010. Conjurers can stop rain by throwing up clods of dirt.

Alabama.

1011. Fog on the hillBrings water to the mill.Fog on the moorBrings the sun to the door.New York.

1012. A fog from the hillsBrings water to the mills.A fog from the seaDrives all the rain away.Prince Edward Island.

1013. Fog on the hillBrings water to the mill.Fog in the vale,Catch all the water in a pail.Massachusetts.

1014. Three foggy mornings and then a rain.

Massachusetts.

1015. It will rain within twenty-four hours of a hoar frost.

Deerfield, Mass.

1016. When the glass sweats, it is the sign of rainy weather.

Alabama.

1017. If the ground is black, it means rain.

Peabody, Mass.

1018. To wear your husband’s hat is a sign of rain.

Massachusetts.

1019. Talking of horses is a sign of rain.

Labrador.

1020. Mackerel skyFive miles highLets the earthGo three days dry.Miller’s River, Mass.

1021. Mackerel sky,Rain by and by.Massachusetts.

1022. A mackerel sky is a sign of a storm.

Prince Edward Island.

1023. Mackerel sky,Rain is nigh.

Mackerel sky,Rain to-morrow.Brookline, Mass.

1024. Mackerel skyThree days highNever leaves the earthThree days dry.Massachusetts.

1025. Mackerel’s back and the mare’s tailsMake lofty ships carry low sails.Newburyport, Mass.

1026. Mackerel sky, horse’s tail,Make the sailor draw his sail.Brookline, Mass.

1027. Mackerel sky,Wind blow high.Canada.

1028. Mackerel sky,Twenty-four hours dry.Salem, Mass.

1029. Open and shet,Sign of wet.Maine and Massachusetts.

1030. Open and shet,Sign of more wet.Massachusetts.

1031. Open and shet,Kind o’ wet.Massachusetts.

1032. If raindrops linger on the pane,There will be further rain.

1033. Raindrops falling on a river, etc., and raising large bubbles, mean a heavy fall of rain and a flood.

1034. If you can see the reflection of the building, etc., in puddles in the street, it will rain inside of twelve hours.

Salem, Mass.

1035. When the rain dries up quickly from puddles, it will rain again soon.

Mattawamkeag, Me.

1036. The rope becoming slack denotes that rain is coming.

Placentia Bay, N. F.

1037. Sparks on the bottom of the tea-kettle mean rain.

Patten, Me.

1038. The sun drawing water means rain.

General in the United States.

1039. When the sun sets in a bank of clouds, there will soon be rain.

Alabama.

1040. It is believed that a rain may be stopped by putting one umbrella or more out in the rain. The longer left the better.

New Orleans, La. (negro).

1041. Water boiling over out of a kettle is a sign of rain.

Labrador.

1042. Water boiling away quickly from the kettle is a sign of rain.

Newfoundland; general in the United States.

1043. The same, however, is also said to be a sign of mild weather.

Bay Roberts, N. F.

1044. To eat or sing in the water-closet betokens rain the next day.

Eastern Massachusetts.

1045. Water low in wells is a sign of rain.

Placentia Bay, N. F.

1046. Whistle to bring rain.

Newfoundland.

1047. When you hear a distant locomotive whistle, it is a sign of rain.

Alabama.

1048. Comes the rain before the wind,Then your topsail you must mind.Comes the wind before the rain,Haul your topsails up again.Cape Cod, Mass.

1049. In northerly squalls:—

If the rain comes before the wind,’T is time your topsail to take in;If the wind before the rain,You may hoist your topsail up again.Labrador.

WIND AND STORM.

1050. A broom falling across the doorway, or chairs set crosswise, is the sign of a storm.

Stratham, N. H.

1051. If a cloud and wind are coming, the wind will last.

Trinity Bay, N. F.

1052. If a cloud looks as if it had been picked by a hen,Get ready to reef your topsails then.Mansfield, O.

1053. Clothes hanging about the rigging will bring wind.

Newfoundland.

1054. Blue blazes in a coal fire mean a storm.

Eastern Massachusetts.

1055. When wood on the fire makes a peculiar hissing noise, it is said “to tread snow,” and there will soon be a storm.

Salem, Mass.

1056. If the stove-lids get red-hot when the fire is first made, it is a sure sign of a storm of some kind.

Cambridge, Mass.

1057. If the vessel is becalmed, throw a halfpenny overboard to buy wind.

Harbor Grace, N. F.

1058. If the halyard lies against the mast, the wind will increase.

Newfoundland

1059. Sticking a knife in the mainmast produces wind.

Conception Bay, N. F.

1060. Table-knives turning blue denote that a northeast wind is coming.

Placentia Bay, N. F.

1061. Strange lights at sea are seen before a northeast gale.

Newfoundland

1062. To see Northern Lights denotes that south wind and a storm will come inside of forty-eight hours.

Massachusetts.

1063. If the fall “line storm” clears off warm, it signifies that storms through that fall and winter will clear away with mild weather,i. e., the way in which the storm closes at the autumnal equinox will rule the weather following storms until the vernal equinox storm. Then the same saying applies to the “line-storm” of March, and the spring and summerafterstorms is foretold.

The contrary would happen if cool weather followed the line storm.

Weathersfield, Vt.

1064. In the fall, if the sky is red in the west at sunset, a gale is coming from the northeast.

Newfoundland.

1065. If a sky turn gray, the wind will be north.

Newfoundland.

1066. First rise after lowForetells stronger blow.

1067. Sailors putting the end of the sheet overboard will bring wind. Hitting it three times across the thwart stops the wind.

Topsail Bay, N. F.

1068. The day of the month of the first snowstorm indicates the number of storms in the year.

Eastern Massachusetts.

1069. If the stars are remarkably clear and bright, it is likely there will be a storm the next day.

1070. Stars in a circle around the moon foretell a storm in the same number of days as there are stars.

Maine, Massachusetts, and New York.

1071. Stars shooting about portend wind.

Heart’s Delight, N. F.

1072. A shooting star shows that wind is coming from the direction toward which it goes.

Conception Bay, New Harbor, N. F.

1073. If stars are in thick patches before twelve at night, it is a sign that wind will come next day from that quarter.

Hearts Delight, Trinity Bay, N. F.

1074. For the sun to rise and go into a cloud means a storm.

Massachusetts.

1075. If the sun sets in a bank, the wind will be in the “western bank.”

Bay Roberts, N. F.

1076. If the bottom of the tea-kettle is white when taken from the stove, it indicates a snowstorm.

Peabody, Mass.

1077. The sun “getting up water” denotes wind and dirty weather.

Scilly Cove, N. F.

1078. Whistle for a breeze.

Universal among sailors.

1079. Whistling of wind in blocks aloft is a sign of a heavy storm.

Conception Bay, N. F.

MOON.

DIVINATION.

1080. Repeat, looking at the new moon the first time you see it,—

New moon, true moon, tell unto, meWho my true love is to be;The color of his hair, the clothes he is to wear,And when he’ll be married to me.Mansfield, O.

1081. On first seeing the new moon, hold any small object in the hand while you repeat,—

New moon, true moon, reveal to meWho my true love shall be;The color of his hair, the clothes he shall wear,And the day that we shall wedded be.

Put the object—handkerchief, pebble, or what not—under your pillow at night, and you will dream of your future husband.

Prince Edward Island.

1082. New moon, moon,Hail unto thee!In my sleep upon my bed,May the one I am to wedIn my dreams smile on me.Middleboro’, Mass.

1083. If you see the new moon over the right shoulder, take three steps backward and repeat,—

New moon, true moon, true and bright,If I have a lover let me dream of him to-night.If I’m to marry far, let me hear a bird cry;If I’m to marry near, let me hear a cow low;If I’m never to marry, let me hear a hammer knock.

One of these sounds is always heard.

Tennessee.

1084. Say to the new moon over your right shoulder,—

New moon, newmoon.come play your part,And tell me who’s my own sweetheart;The color of his hair, the clothes he shall wear,And on what day he shall appear.

Then dream.

Massachusetts.

1085. The first time you see the moon in the New Year, look at it and say,—

Whose table shall I spread?For whom make the bed?Whose name shall I carry?And whom shall I marry?

Then think of one you would like to marry, and go your way. Ask some question of the first person you meet, and if the answer is affirmative, it indicates that you will marry your choice; if negative, it means you will not.

Told by a Norwegian girl in Eastern Massachusetts.

1086. Rest a mirror on the head and look at the new moon in it; as many moons as you see mean the number of months before marriage.

1087. When it is new moon, take out a stocking, and as you knit repeat,—

This knot I knitTo know the thing I know not yet,This night that I may seeWho my husband is to be,How he goes and what he wears,And what he does all days and years.Nashua, N. H.

1088. Look over the right shoulder at the new moon, and count nine stars, pick up whatever is under your right foot, such as a stick, pebble, or what not; put it under your pillow, and you will dream of whoever is to be your husband.

Deer Isle, Me.

1089. When you see the moon, say,—

I see the moon and the moon sees me,And the moon sees somebody that I want to see.Massachusetts.

1090. New moon, true moon, true and trusty,Tell me who my true love must be.Pennsylvania.

1091. Wish the first time you see the moon, and your wish will come true.

General in the United States and Canada.

1092. Bow to the new moon seven times the first time you see it, and you’ll get a present, or wish and you will get your wish.

New England.

1093. If you shake your dress at the new moon, you will get a new one.

Alabama.

FORTUNE.

1094. The moon seen over the right shoulder brings good luck; over the left shoulder, ill luck.

General in the United States.

1095. If you should see the moon over your left shoulder, and should without speaking turn round and look at it over your right shoulder, your ill luck will disappear, and you will be as well off as if you had seen it over your right shoulder first.

Maine and Massachusetts.

1096. It is bad luck to look at the moon over your right shoulder. If through mistake you should look at it over your right, face around, take three steps backward with your hands clasped behind, and then look at it over the left shoulder.

Alabama.

1097. If you see the moon square in the face, you’ll have a fall.

Nashua, N. H.

1098. See the moon over the left shoulder,You will have a fall (tumble).Bedford, Mass.

1199.If you have money in the pocket when you first see the new moon, turn it over, and you’ll have plenty all the rest of the month.

Stratham, N. H.

1100. If you have money in your pocket the first time you see the new moon, and it is seen over your right shoulder, you will have money all the year.

Nashua, N. H., and Massachusetts.

1101. Take out money and shake it in the hand on first seeing the new moon; it will increase your wealth.

Miramichi, N. B.

1102. Look at the new moon through a ring, wish something while doing so, and your wish will come true.

Alabama.

1103. If you first see the new moon with full hands, that is, with busy hands, you will be busy, full of work, all the month; if idle, the reverse.

1104. See the new moon through a glass,See sorrow while it lasts.Deer Isle, Me., and Salem, Mass.

1105. If you see the new moon through trees or brush, you will have trouble that month.

General in the United States.

1106. If you see the new moon full in front, you will meet your lover within the week.

1107. If you see the new moon face on, you will go headlong through the month.

Salem, Mass.

1108. Moon full face,Open disgrace.Portland, Me.

1109. One who chances to have a cup in his hand when he first sees the new moon is destined to wait on the sick until another new moon appears.

Alabama.

MOONLIGHT.

1110. Some say you can see the man’s axe and dog in the moon.

New Brunswick.

1111. If the moon shines in your face as you lie in the bed at night, you’ll die inside of a year.

Central Maine.

1112. It is a general belief that it is dangerous to sleep with the moon shining on the face. If the moon shines on fish, they will spoil.

1113. Horses will be cured of any one of several diseases if you will insert a bit of silver—a dime is the favorite coin—in the part affected; but it is imperative that you do this by the “light of the moon.”

Clover Bend, Ark.

WAX AND WANE.

1114. Set out cabbages in the new of the moon to make them head up well, and gather apples in the new of the moon to make them keep well. Plant potatoes in the old of the moon.

Mitchell Co., N. C.

1115. Plant flowers in the increase of the moon.

Pennsylvania.

1116. Be careful as to the phase of the moon when felling timber.

General in the United States.

1117. If brush and thistles are cut down in the full moon in August when the sign is in the heart, they will never grow again.

Copied from an agricultural paper.

1118. Grass cut when the moon is waning will not “spend well.”

New England.

1119. If cut when it is waxing, the hay weighs and spends well.

New England.

1120. Plant peas and potatoes in the increase of the moon.

Miramichi, N. B.

1121. Seeds should be sown when the moon is new. This custom is still more or less observed. Corn should be planted at this time.

Boston, Mass.

1122. Plant seed the first three days after the moon changes.

Alabama.

1123. Plant potatoes “in the dark of the moon,” so the potatoes will root and yield well.

Mansfield, O.

1124. The full moon is the time to cut alders, spruce, or other undergrowth, because the roots then die quickly without sprouting.

Nova Scotia.

1125. Shingle the roof in the decrease of the moon, so the shingles will lie flat (“go down”). Else they may warp and rise up.

Mansfield, O.

1126. If a farmer lays a rail fence by the light of the moon, it will be stronger and last longer than if it was laid in the daytime.

Western New York and parts of Massachusetts.

1127. Kill any animal for meat on the increase of the moon, and it will increase in the pot. Kill it on the wane of the moon, and it will shrink in the pot.

General in the United States.

1128. If hogs are butchered on a rising tide, the pork will not shrink in the pan.

Massachusetts.

1129. You must never kill cattle or pigs, or even wild game, by the “dark of the moon;” it is most unlucky, and the meat will come to no good.

Clover Bend, Ark.

1130. If you wean a calf at the time of the full moon, it will make less fuss. You mustn’t wean it when the sign is in the belly, or it will never grow fat. Pursue the same course with a pig, or it will squeal.

Western Massachusetts.

1131. To make hair grow, cut it in the new of the moon.

N. F., N. B., N. S., Me., Mass., and Talladega, Ala.

1132. Cut hair the first Friday in the new moon, if you wish it to grow.

General in the United States.

1133. It is the custom for girls to cut their bangs on the forehead when the moon is new. It is supposed to make them grow. This custom is observed by many intelligent young people.

Boston, Mass.

1134. Cut hair in the new moon, bury it in earth near a running brook, and it will make the new hair grow long and abundant.

Maine.

1135. Clean the spring or well during the increase of the moon, so the water willrun inand fill the spring after it is emptied.

Mansfield, O.

1136. Make soap in the new of the moon.

Talladega, Ala.

1137. Make soap in the full of the moon.

Prince Edward Island.

1138. Do not marry or move during the wane (decrease) of the moon.

Mansfield, O.

1139. To take away warts, steal a dish-rag out of the house, without anybody’s knowledge, and go out of doors in the first of the moon, rub the dish-rag on the wart, and say: “Here, new moon! take away my new wart.” Then throw the dish-rag away where no one can find it, and tell nobody.

Talladega, Ala.

1140. To cure warts, go out of doors when the moon is new, take up a handful of mud, looking at the moon all the time, and rub on the wart.

Holderness, N. H.

SUN.

DOMESTIC AND MECHANICAL OPERATIONS.

1141. To make good bread, stir it with the sun. To make good yeast, make it as near sunrise as possible.

Northern Ohio.

1142. If you wish to secure lightness, you must always stir cake and eggs a certain way, that is, the way the sun goes.

Kittery, Me., Nashua, N. H., Eastern Massachusetts, and Southern Michigan.

1143. Eggs and cake are commonly beaten and butter made by stirring sunwise.

Newfoundland.

1144. To make cake light, it must always be stirred the same way.

Dalton, Mass., and Alabama.

1145. In cooking soft custard, the stirring must be continued throughout in the direction in which it was begun; otherwise the custard will turn to whey.

Eastern Massachusetts.

1146. If, after turning the crank of a churn for a while with the sun, you change and turn the other way, it will undo all the churning you have done.

Ferrisburgh, Vt.

1147. Ice cream will not freeze rightly unless the crank is turned the right way.

Concord, Mass.

1148. In making lye soap, if you stir it backward it will turn back to lye.

Warren Co., N. Y., and Alabama.

1149. In melting sugar for taffy, stir always one way, or it will grain.

Allston, Mass.

1150. In greasing the wheels of a carriage, always begin at a certain wheel and go round in a set way.

Peabody, Mass.

CURES.

1151. In rubbing for rheumatism, etc., rub from left to right (sunwise).

Concord, Mass.

1152. Ringworm may be killed by moistening the finger in the mouth and rubbing sunwise around the diseased spot.

Central Maine.

1153. To rub for “sweeney.” Rub the diseased part of the horse’s shoulder with a corn-cob with the sun every third morning.

Northern Ohio.

1154. Rub a corn, a wen, etc., with the sun if by day, with the moon if by night. The sun or moon will draw all the pain away. Related by a Pennsylvania German.

Northern Ohio.

1155. To cure a curb in a horse, rub it with a bone, at the going down of the sun.

Plymouth, O.

1156. A “conjurer” can rub away a “rising” (boil) by coming to your bedside about daybreak, before you speak to any one, and rubbing the “rising” for nine successive days.

Talladega, Ala.

1157. To cure a burn, moisten it with saliva, repeating:—

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