he left, or east, than on the preceding evening. This
revolution of the Moon around our planet produces the phases, and gives
the measure of our months.

[Illustration: FIG. 64.--The Full Moon slowly rises.]

During her monthly journey she always presents the same face to us. One
might think that the fear of losing us had immobilized her globe, and
prevented her from turning. And so we only know of her the vague sketch
of a human face that has been observed through all the ages.

It seems, in fact, as though she were looking down upon us from the
Heavens, the more so as the principal spots of her disk vaguely recall
the aspect of a face. If we try to draw it without the aid of
instruments we observe dark regions and clear regions that each
interprets in his own fashion. To the author, for instance, the full
Moon has the appearance represented in the following figure. The spots
resemble two eyes and the sketch of a nose; resulting in a vague human
figure, as indicated on the lower disk. Others see a man carrying a
bundle of wood, a hare, a lion, a dog, a kangaroo, a sickle, two heads
embracing, etc.[13] But generally speaking, there is a tendency to see a
human figure in it.

If this appearance is helped a little by drawing, it gives the profile
of a man's head fairly well sketched, and furnished with an abundant
crop of hair (Fig. 66). Others go much more into detail, and draw a
woman's head that is certainly too definite, like this of M. Jean Sardou
(Fig. 67). Others, again, like M. Zamboni, see behind the man's profile
the likeness of a young girl being embraced by him (Fig. 68). There is
certainly some imagination about these. And yet, on the first suitable
occasion, look at the Moon through an opera-glass, a few days after the
first quarter, and you will not fail to see the masculine profile just
described, and even to imagine the "kiss in the Moon."

[Illustration: FIG. 65.--The Moon viewed with the unaided eye.]

[Illustration: FIG. 66.--The Man's head in the Moon.]

These vague aspects disappear as soon as the Moon is examined with even
the least powerful instruments: the spots are better defined, and the
illusions of indistinct vision vanish. Compare this direct photograph of
the Moon, taken by the author some years ago (Fig. 69): here is neither
a human figure, man, dog, hare, nor faggot; simply deep geographical
configurations, and in the lower region, a luminous point whence certain
light bands spread