Brown night retires; young day pours in apace, The native voice of undissembled joy; And thick around the woodlands hymns arise. For is there aught in sleep can charm the wise? 'Wilder'd, and tossing thro' distemper'd dreams! PROGNOSTICS OF THE WEATHER. RED clouds in the west, at sunset, especially when they have a tint of purple, portend fine weather; the reason of which is, that the air, when dry, refracts more red or heat-making rays; and as dry air is not perfectly transparent, they are again reflected in the horizon. A coppery or yellow sunset generally foretells rain; but as an indication of wet weather approaching, nothing is more certain than the halo around the moon, which is produced by the precipitated water; and the larger the circle the nearer the clouds, and consequently the more ready to fall. The old proverb is often correct: A rainbow in the morning is the shepherd's warning; 1 A rainbow can only occur when the clouds containing the rain are opposite to the sun. In the evening the rainbow is in the east, and in the morning in the west; and as our heavy rains in this climate are usually brought by the westerly wind, a rainbow in the west indicates that the bad weather is on the road to us; whereas the rain-bow in the east proves that the rain in these clouds is passing from us. When the swallows fly high, fine weather may be expected or continued; but when they fly low, and close to the ground, rain is almost surely approaching. This is explained as follows:-Swallows pursue the flies and gnats, and flies and gnats usually delight in warm strata of air; and as warm air is lighter, and usually moister, than cold air, when the warm strata of our air are high, there is less chance of moisture being thrown down from them by the mixture with cold air; but when the warm and moist air is close to the surface, it is almost certain that, as the cold air flows down into it, a deposition of water will take place. When sea-gulls assemble on the land, stormy and rainy weather is almost always approaching; the reason of which might be thought to be, that these animals, sensible of a current of air approaching from the ocean, retire to the land to shelter themselves from the storm. This is not the case, however. The storm is their element; and the little petrel enjoys the heaviest gale, because, living on the smaller sea insects, he is sure to find his food in the spray of a heavy wave, and he may be seen flitting above the edge of the highest surge. The reason of this migration of gulls and other sea-birds to the land, is their security of finding food; and they may be observed, at this time, feeding greedily on the earthworms driven out of the ground by severe floods; and the fish on which they prey in fine weather on the sea, leave the surface, and go deeper in storms. The search after food is the principal cause why animals change their places. The different tribes of the wading birds always migrate when rain is about to take place. The vulture, upon the same principle, follows armies; and there is no doubt, that the augury of the ancients was a good deal founded upon the observation of the instinct of birds. There are many superstitions of the vulgar owing to the same source. For anglers, in spring, it is always unlucky to see single magpies, but two may be always regarded as a favourable omen; and the reason is, that, in cold and stormy weather, one magpie alone leaves the nest in search of food, the other remaining sitting upon the eggs or the young ones; but if two go out together, it is only when the weather is warm and mild, and favourable for fishing. Sir H. Davy. THE CREATOR'S WORKS. THERE's not a star whose twinkling light And cheers the solemn gloom of night, There's not a cloud whose dews distil And clothe with verdure vale and hill, There's not a place in earth's vast round, Where skill and wisdom are not found, Around, beneath, below, above, Wherever space extends, There Heaven displays its boundless love, ON QUARRELLING. I THINK it may be remarked as a very common fault, or at least an oversight, in those who have the management of children, that sufficient care is not taken to prevent quarrelling and altercation amongst them; as if this too natural propensity were an unimportant and inconsiderable sin. Some parents, to whom I have spoken on the subject, have not perceived the propriety of interfering with the little bickerings and disputes that are continually going on amongst children; assuming that it is better to let them settle their own disputes, and to get their selfish tempers corrected by collision with each other. I wish simply to point out what seems to me false and dangerous in this plan, and the consequences that plainly result from it. Parents and teachers will not let their children lie; they will not let them steal. Why? Because they are sins, offensive to God, and injurious to the well-being of society. But they will suffer them to quarrel from morning to night, provided their disagreements do not break out into open violence, or become disturbing to others. What impression can the mind of the children receive from this, but that disputing and quarrelling are either no sin, or less a sin than those breaches of the divine law, which are so carefully corrected when they occur; and growing up with this impression, it is but. too commonly apparent that they continue to think so to the end of their lives. I do not know whether it can be necessary to say any thing to prove that quarrelling, wrangling, or disputing, is a sin. If we consider how very plainly the Scripture speaks respecting it, how strongly it is reprobated, how positively it is forbidden, without any reference to the ground of quarrel, or object of dispute;-if we consider how much opposed it is to the whole tone and spirit of Christianity, of which the very life and essence are forbearance, gentleness, and peace; and above all, if we regard that high example, by which we are to walk, His example, to be conformed to whose likeness we were redeemed, it would appear quite unnecessary to prove that quarrelling is a sin, forbidden of God, and offensive in his sight. If, on the contrary, we observe how the peace of families is destroyed by it; how the fondest ties of domestic affection cannot restrain, or self-interest itself control it; how truth is disgraced by it, and religion dishonoured; we might doubt if any body believes it to be a sin at all. The word of God says, "The children of God must not strive." And if they must not, why do we bring up our children in a habit, which the strongest principle of afterlife will slowly, perhaps never, enable them to subdue? I say nothing of the occasions of quarrel among children; because God forbids to his family all strife and angry contention whatsoever. For the most part they are some little matters of selfish encroachment, of selfish tenaciousness: they may be the offspring of the most malignant passions, such as envy, jealousy, and revenge; or they may be the effect of mere physical irritability, of which the poor child is the almost unconscious victim. In no case, however, can the indulgence of the disposition be beneficial to the child. All quarrelling and bickering ought, if possible, to be prevented. To accomplish this, it must be established as a principle, that all angry contention is sinful in itself, apart from the right and wrong of the subject in dispute: and the watchful parent or teacher should put an end to it the moment it is observed, either by separating the children, or commanding them to silence. It will be time enough afterwards to adjust the cause of quarrel, if it appears to be such as needs interference. The first lesson to be conveyed is, that right or wrong, for any thing or nothing, they are not to quarrel. The boy who is accustomed angrily to maintain the superiority of his top, will, when a man, angrily maintain the superiority of his creed; the girl who is allowed to quarrel for precedence in the use of a toy or a book, will, when a woman, disturb the peace of her family by jealous contention and pertinacity.-Mrs. Fry. THE FAITHFUL FRIEND. THE green-house is my summer seat; Two goldfinches, whose sprightly song They sang as blithe as finches sing |