Chap. 10. § 2. SUPERSTITIONS, &c. 323

with the aerial perfumes of Summer, which
arise from a property in the calm air, at par-
ticular times, of retaining alT effluvia longer
than usual. The same would occur in Winter,
if there were flowers to scent it. And I have
generally been able, by observing whether or
no the smoke from my pipe staid long in and
scented the circumjacent air of a morning, to
prognosticate a good or a bad scenting day for
hunting.
This subject, of the hanging of gaseous
substances in the air, leads me again to the con-
sideration of Meteors which result from the
combustion of low exhalations, such as Will
o' the Wisp, the Fire Drake, and others, con-
cerning which there are many vulgar prejudices.
The larger Meteors were called Flying Dra-
gons, and numerous vain and fallacious prog-
nosticks were deduced from their appearance.*



* An artificial flying Dragon appeared by day light some
.years ago^ during the celebration of some great public festival
in France^ which had the express form of this creature of the
terrified imagination. It has never been discovered what this
extraordinary moving monster really was; but it has been
supposed to have been some kind of firework. I remember
seeing an authentic and original picture of it at the late
. M. Richard Gough's, at Enfield. -

Y 2



324 OF ATMOSPHERICAL Chap. JO. §3.
