ng a ridge partially crossing
"the neck," and, near sunset, a tongue of rock jutting out from the E.
flank of the constriction, and extending nearly from side to side. At the
base of the cliff bordering the valley on the S.W., five or six little
circular pits have been noted, some of which appear to have rims. They
were seen very perfectly with powers of 350 and 400 on an 8 1/2 inch
Calver reflector at 8 h. on January 25, 1885, and have been observed, but
less perfectly, on subsequent occasions. The most northerly is about 10
miles from the N.W. end of the formation, and the rest occur at nearly
regular intervals between it and "the neck." In the neighbourhood of the
valley, on either side, there are several bright craters. Three stand
near the N.E. edge, and one of considerable size near the N.W. end on the
opposite side. A winding cleft crosses the valley about midway, which,
strange to say, is not shown in the maps, though it may be seen in a 4
inch achromatic. It originates apparently at a bright triangular mountain
on the plain S.W. of the valley, and, after crossing the latter somewhat
obliquely, is lost amid the mountains on the opposite side. That portion
of it on the bottom of the valley is easily traceable under a high light
as a white line. The region N. of the Alps on the S.W. side of the valley
presents many details worthy of examination. Among them, parallel rows of
little hills, all extending from N.W. to S.E. There is also a number of
still smaller objects of the same type on the E. side. The great Alpine
valley, though first described by Schroter, is said to have been
discovered on September 22, 1727, by Bianchini, but it is very unlikely
that an object which is so prominent when near the terminator was not
often remarked before this.

ARCHYTAS.--A bright ring-plain, 21 miles in diameter, on the edge of the
Mare Frigoris, due N. of the Alpine Valley, with regular walls rising
about 5000 feet above the interior on the N.W., and about 4000 feet on
the opposite side. It has a very bright central mountain. Several spurs
radiate from the wall on the S., and a wide valley, flanked by lofty
heights, forming the S.W. boundary of W.C. Bond, originates on the N
side. There is also a crater-rill running towards the N.W. On the Mare,
S.W. of Archytas, is a somewhat smaller ring-plain, Archytas A (called by
Schmidt, PROTAGORAS), with lofty walls and a central hill.

CHRISTIAN MAYER.--A prominent rhomboidal-shaped ri