ing, and
they can be seen seeking for extra food to carry home, or, perhaps,
devouring it quickly, storing it up against the time everything is
soaked with the rain.

"Bees seldom fly far from the hive when rain is threatening; flies are
annoying and sting sharply before rain, and many times they cling
tenaciously to wall or furniture,--that is to keep flat to a surface, so
their bodies will not become damp.

"A large ring can be found to encircle the moon the night preceding a
rainstorm. Should the storm be two or three days off, the ring is wider
and you will find fainter shadows inside the main circle,--one for each
day.

"Mountain moss is found to be soft and limp, and smoke generally beats
downward when the East Wind presages rain. Callouses on the feet will
ache painfully; spiders will be seen strengthening their webs against
moisture-weight; morning-glories will close up tightly; mushrooms are
found to be numerous; and there are a dozen other weather-signs that I
forget now."

The scouts had listened with interest, for this was new to them,
although Hester added: "I've heard the saying, 'Mackerel sky, twelve
hours dry.'"

"Yes, and another one goes, 'Rain before seven, fine before eleven,'"
said Judith.

"You will find in summer that heavy dews in the night mean fine weather
the following day," added Mrs. Vernon. "Also any thunder-storm that
comes with the wind soon passes away, but let it come against the wind,
and it is apt to last."

"This one came with the wind and is blowing away already. See!"
exclaimed Amy, eagerly.

"Yes, girls, now we can do as the Arabs--fold our tent and steal away,"
said Mrs. Vernon, rising carefully so as not to jar the bunny which had
remained very quiet all this time.

"I wonder what the girls in the canoe did while the rain was falling,"
said Judith.

"Leave it to Julie to find a way. I'll say she landed them all on the
bank and then turned the canoe upside down over their heads," laughed
Hester.

When the canoeists arrived at camp, sometime after the hikers got there,
they exchanged experiences. Hester's surmise turned out to be exactly
right, and the girls in the canoe were as dry as those who sat under the
rubber cover.

CHAPTER EIGHT

JAKE'S INTERVIEW WITH A SKUNK

"Gilly, do you know of any vegetable dye we can find in the woods to dye
some burlap for decorations?" asked Julie one day.

"Yes, you can take the berries and leaves of red or staghor