Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 6 1888.djvu/105

 Rh The lines when long enough always appear to converge in perspective towards some two points on the horizon exactly opposite to each other; and numerous curious names have been given to this appearance of the clouds. In England and Sweden the converging stripes are called "Noah's ark," and several weather prognostics depend on whether the ark turns its head to the wind, and whether the windows are open or shut. What phase of cloud represents the windows I cannot say, for I have never heard the expression myself applied to an actual cloud, but it may have reference to the cross-barred or striated structure which cirrus-stripes so often exhibit.

In Rhineland a similar form of cirrus is called the "sea ship," or "Mary's ship," and in all cases the converging stripes appear to have suggested the timbers of a ship tapering towards the bow and stern.

"We shall show presently the modern explanation of the origin of cirrus; that of cirrus-stripes, and reason why they sometimes lie across the wind, and why they at other times turn their head to the wind is far too complicated for a popular lecture. Suffice it say that we do not now see fanciful forms in cirrus-stripes, but rather the product of threads of vapour being condensed and drawn out by currents of air 20,000 feet above the earth; and that we can often get useful information respecting coming weather by noting the direction and motion of these thin lines of hairy cloud.

There is another type of structure to which it is impossible to give a better epithet than fleecy. We often see a lovely, bright cloud high in the heavens that looks exactly like a sheep's fleece, and totally unlike any other cloud-form. It is found all over the world. The picture you now see was taken at Folkestone, while this heavier form of the same cloud is from the "Doldrums" in the North Atlantic, and this beautiful specimen (Fig. 2, see next page) is from near the Falkland Islands.

I cannot give you any mythological or folk-lore story which refers exactly to this kind of cloud, but I have no doubt that some of the imagery of the Greek legends has been taken from this source. At the present time, however, nearly every country uses the word fleecy, or some