of the southern hemisphere with
respect to the ecliptic, but half southern and half northern with
respect to the equinoctial. It is placed near the feet of the bull, and
is composed of seventeen stars in the form of a sword, which has given
occasion to the poets to speak of Orion's sword. He was described by
the Greeks as a "mighty hunter," who for his exploits was placed in the
heavens by Jupiter, between the Canis and the Lepus. He is believed by
many to have been the "mighty hunter" spoken of in the bible, under the
name of Nimrod. (See Gen. x: 8, 9; 1 Chron. i: 10; Micha v: 6, Job ix,
9; Amos v, 8.)

PERSEUS.--This constellation is named from Perseus, the son of Jupiter
by Danae, who was translated into the heavens by the assistance of
Minerva, for having released Andromeda from her confinement on the
rock to which she was chained. He is represented in the preceding
illustration holding a drawn sword in his right hand and in his left the
head of Medusa, the Gorgon, whose terrifying appearance changed all who
beheld her into stone, and whom he had destroyed with the assistance of
the wings he had borrowed from Mercury, the helmet from Pluto, the sword
from Vulcan, and the shield from Minerva.

JOSEPH'S STABLE; AURIGA, the Wagoner:--A northern constellation between
Perseus and Gemini, represented by the figure of an old man supporting
a goat. He is said to have been taken to heaven by Jupiter after the
invention of wagons.

URSA MAJOR, the Bear.--One of the prominent northern constellations,
situated near the north pole. It contains the stars called the Dipper.
Ursa Minor contains the pole-star, which is shown in the extremity of
the tail of the bear.

ANDROMEDA.--A northern constellation, represented by a woman chained;
as, according to Grecian fable, Andromeda, the daughter of Cassiopia,
was bound to a rock by the Nereides, and afterwards released by Perseus.
Minerva changed her into a constellation after her death, and placed her
in the heavens.

DRACO OR DRAGON.--A northern constellation, supposed to represent the
Dragon that guarded the Hesperian fruit, and was killed by Hercules.
It is said that Juno took it up to heaven and placed it among the
constellations.

BOOTIS, the Ox driver: so called because this constellation seems
to follow the Great Bear as the driver follows his oxen. Bootis is
represented as grasping in his right hand a sickle and in his left a
club, and is fabled to have been Icarius, wh