I don't know whether this refers to earthshine or not, but I thought of Sir Patrick Spens when I read it. It's from "Backwoods America" by Charles Morrow Wilson, University of North Carolina Press, 1934. Describing superstitions he found among our mountain people, Wilson wrote:
    "A white circle about the moon tells of rain or snow, and the number of stars       within that circle tells the number of days until the falling weather begins."
    I assume this refers to a simple "ring around the moon" that may be caused by atmospheric conditions, but I thought it might well be added to this discussion.
    Sandy