Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 2, 1891.djvu/525

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Weather Folk-lore of the Sea.
469

follow, with the wind from the south or south-west (Rosehearty).

If the sun rises with a glaring, glassy sort of light accompanied with small glittering clouds, stormy weather is looked for that day.

If after the sun has risen for an hour and a half or two hours his rays appear to shoot down to the horizon, the wind in a short time blows from east by south or south-south-east Such rays go by the name of " back-stays" (Findochty). In Macduff they are called "staanarts".

When the sun rises "red as blood" a gale is at hand, mostly from the south[1] (Rosehearty). When it appears red, but not very red, about "man-heicht" above the horizon, a fine day follows, with the wind from the south or south-west (Rosehearty).

If the sun comes up unclouded, shines brightly for a time, and then becomes hid by clouds, a common remark is, " He's p——, an gane t' bed". Such a thing is an indication of dull cloudy weather[2] (Pennan).

When the sun appears "sick and foul", that is, when the sun is covered with a grey or "aisy" (ashy) haze, rain follows in summer, and snow in winter (Rosehearty).

In rainy weather, if the sun sets behind heavy black clouds with "clear holes" in them, "roving", i.e., unsettled, weather follows with the wind westerly.[3]

A black cloud rising in the west towards sunset is called "a growan-up", and is a precursor of a near burst of stormy weather (Pittulie).

A large black heavy cloud in the west when the sun is not far from the horizon is called "a bank", and is the forerunner of a strong breeze from the west. The following are the formulæ:—

"When the sin sets in a clear,
Wasterly win' ye needna fear;

  1. D., p. 78.
  2. D. p. 75, under "Sunrise".
  3. D., p. 76, under "Cloudy Sunset and Dark Clouds".