Weather vanes are everywhere, and they are available in a number of styles. Amongst such are the gilded cannon more than the armory, the hook-and-ladder over the headquarters with the fire brigade, and the trumpery motorcar more than our neighbor's garage. When stables flourished, the straightforward gilded horse was a graceful emblem, as well usually spoiled by the addition of a buggy or sulky. Arrow vanes, varying significantly in facts of ornamentation, are among probably the most pleasing styles, simply because they try to convey no distinct thought beyond that of aiming straight at the wind's eye. Amongst these we encounter in our ramble one fixes our consideration by its uncompromising simplicity, its lack of gilding, and, specially, by its spread tail. On inquiry, we discover that the house surmounted by it can be occupied by a dilettante meteorologist; to wit, the nearby volunteer observer on the Climate Bureau. His is usually a scientific climate vane; typically known as, by way of distinction, a "wind vane," or, in the event you favor a extra pretentious term, an "anemoscope." The spread tail offers it good steadiness. It doesn't gyrate about erratically, as do most vanes. It is most cautiously mounted on ball or roller bearings; it really is kept properly oiled; and its location has been selected with due regard to catching each and every breeze that blows, for it overtops the surrounding trees and buildings. Probably its axle is carried through the roof and fitted with a ceiling dial, to ensure that its owner may observe the direction in the wind with out going out of doors; or, again, it may be connected electrically using a pen that traces a continuous record in the wind's vagaries on a moving strip of paper. The amateur weatherman's vane was the only strictly utilitarian one in the community till the gear on the new airport made us acquainted with the "wind cone" plus the "landing tee." The former is usually a sleeve of light fabric, open at both ends, which, stands out horizontally and takes the shape of a truncated cone when inflated by the wind, but hangs limp in calm climate. The landing tee is often a massive vane, brightly lighted by evening and possessing the common outline of an aeroplane. The pilot within the air learns from it which way the wind is blowing close for the ground and is as a result enabled to head into the wind in landing. We have reserved for the last a especially graceful range of vane, probably the most conspicuous instance of which we find crowning a turret of yonder stately mansion on the hill. We note that, as opposed to the majority of climate vanes, this one conforms for the literal and original meaning with the word "vane," for it's a conventionalized flag or banner. It's perforated with figures showing the year in which the creating was erected. Its ancestor of some centuries ago would have borne, as an alternative, a painted or perforated coat-of-arms, and could have turned on a vertical rod held by a bird or beast sitting on a pedestal
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