wind at hand; as when feathers, or down of thistles, fly to and fro in the air. For prognostics of weather from living creatures, it is to be noted that creatures that live in the open air (sub dio) must needs have a quicker impression from the air, than men that live most within doors; and especially birds who live in the air freest and clearest; and are aptest by their voice to tell tales what they find, and likewise by the motion of their flight to express the same. 823. Water-fowls, (as sea-gulls, moor-hens, &c.) when they flock and fly together from the sea towards the shores; and contrariwise, land-birds, (as crows, swallows, &c.) when they fly from the land to the waters, and beat the waters with their wings; do foreshew rain and wind. The cause is, pleasure that both kinds take in the moistness and density of the air; and so desire to be in motion and upon the wing, whithersoever they would otherwise go; for it is no marvel, that water-fowl do joy most in that air which is likest water; and land-birds also, many of them, delight in bathing, and moist air. For the same reason also, many birds do prune1 their feathers; and geese do gaggle; and crows seem to call upon rain: all which is but the comfort they seem to receive in the relenting of the air. 824. The heron, when she soareth high, (so as sometimes she is seen to pass over a cloud,) sheweth winds but kites flying aloft shew fair and dry weathThe cause may be, for that they both mount most er. : 1 Proine in the original.-J. S. into the air of that temper wherein they delight: and the heron, being a water-fowl, taketh pleasure in the air that is condensed; and besides, being but heavy of wing, needeth the help of the grosser air. But the kite affecteth not so much the grossness of the air, as the cold and freshness thereof: for being a bird of prey, and therefore hot, she delighteth in the fresh air; and (many times) flieth against the wind, as trouts and salmons swim against the stream. And yet it is true also, that all birds find an ease in the depth of the air, as swimmers do in a deep water. And therefore when they are aloft, they can uphold themselves with their wings spread, scarce moving them. 825. Fishes, when they play towards the top of the water, do commonly foretell rain. The cause is, for that a fish, hating the dry, will not approach the air till it groweth moist; and when it is dry, will fly it, and swim lower. 826. Beasts do take comfort (generally) in a moist air; and it maketh them eat their meat better; and therefore sheep will get up betimes in the morning to feed, against rain: and cattle, and deer, and coneys, will feed hard before rain; and a heifer will put up his nose and snuff in the air, against rain. 827. The trefoil, against rain, swelleth in the stalk ; and so standeth more upright: for by wet, stalks do erect, and leaves bow down. There is a small red flower in the stubble-fields, which country people call the wincopipe; which if it open in the morning, you may be sure of a fair day to follow. 828. Even in men, aches and hurts and corns do engrieve, either towards rain or towards frost for the one maketh the humours more to abound; and the other maketh them sharper. So we see both extremes bring the gout. 829. Worms, vermin, &c., do foreshew likewise rain for earthworms will come forth, and moles will cast up more, and fleas bite more, against rain. : 830. Solid bodies likewise foreshew rain. As stones and wainscot, when they sweat: and boxes and pegs of wood, when they draw and wind hard; though the former be but from an outward cause; for that the stone or wainscot turneth and beateth back the air against itself; but the latter is an inward swelling of the body of the wood itself. Experiment solitary touching the nature of appetite in the stomach. : 831. Appetite is moved chiefly by things that are cold and dry the cause is, for that cold is a kind of indigence of nature, and calleth upon supply; and so is dryness and therefore all sour things (as vinegar, juice of lemons, oil of vitriol, &c.) provoke appetite. And the disease which they call appetitus caninus, consisteth in the matter of an acid and glassy phlegm in the mouth of the stomach. Appetite is also moved by sour things; for that sour things induce a contraction in the nerves placed in the mouth of the stomach; which is a great cause of appetite. As for the cause why onions, and salt, and pepper, in baked meats, move appetite, it is by vellication of those nerves; for motion whetteth. As for wormwood, olives, capers, and others of that kind, which participate of bitterness, they move appetite by abstersion. So as there be four principal causes of appetite; the refrigeration of the stomach, joined with some dryness; contraction; velli cation; and abstersion; besides hunger, which is an emptiness and yet over-fasting doth (many times) cause the appetite to cease; for that want of meat maketh the stomach draw humours, and such humours as are light and choleric, which quench appetite most. Experiment solitary touching sweetness of odour from the rainbow. 832. It hath been observed by the ancients, that where a rainbow seemeth to hang over or to touch, there breatheth forth a sweet smell. The cause is, for that this happeneth but in certain matters which have in themselves some sweetness; which the gentle dew of the rainbow doth draw forth and the like do soft showers; for they also make the grounds sweet but none are so delicate as the dew of the rainbow where it falleth. It may be also that the water itself hath some sweetness; for the rainbow consisteth of a glomeration of small drops, which cannot possibly fall but from the air that is very low; and therefore may hold the very sweetness of the herbs and flowers, as a distilled water; for rain, and other dew, that fall from high, cannot preserve the smell, being dissipated in the drawing up : neither do we know whether some water itself may not have some degree of sweetness. It is true that we find it sensibly in no pool, river, nor fountain; but good earth, newly turned up, hath a freshness and good scent; which water, if it be not too equal, (for equal objects never move the sense,) may also have. Certain it is, that bay-salt, which is but a kind of water congealed, will sometimes smell like violets. 1 Arist. Prob. xii. 2. Experiment solitary touching sweet smells. 833. To sweet smells heat is requisite, to concoct the matter; and some moisture, to spread the breath of them. For heat, we see that woods and spices are more odorate in the hot countries than in the cold: for moisture, we see that things too much dried lose their sweetness and flowers growing, smell better in a morning or evening than at noon. Some sweet smells are destroyed by approach to the fire; as violets, wallflowers, gilly-flowers, pinks; and generally all flowers that have cool and delicate spirits. Some continue both on the fire, and from the fire; as rose-water, &c. Some do scarce come forth, or at least not so pleasantly, as by means of the fire; as juniper, sweet gums, &c., and all smells that are enclosed in a fast body: but (generally) those smells are the most grateful, where the degree of heat is small; or where the strength of the smell is allayed; for these things do rather woo the sense, than satiate it. And therefore the smell of violets and roses exceedeth in sweetness that of spices and gums; and the strongest sort of smells are best in a weft afar off. Experiment solitary touching the corporeal substance of smells. 834. It is certain that no smell issueth but with emission of some corporeal substance; not as it is in light and colours, and in sounds. For we see plainly that smell doth spread nothing that distance that the other do. It is true that some woods of oranges, and heaths of rosemary, will smell a great way into the sea, perhaps twenty miles; but what is that, since a peal |