5H 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



to represent the celebrated river now known as the Po. It has had 

 different names among different peoples, but the idea of a river, sug- 

 gested by its long, winding streams of stars, has always been preserved. 

 According to fable, it is the river into which Phaeton fell after his dis- 

 astrous attempt to drive the chariot of the sun for his father Phoebus, 

 and in which hare-brained adventure he narrowly missed burning the 



Map ii. 



world up. The imaginary river starts from the brilliant star Rigel, in 

 the left foot of Orion, and flows in a broad upward bend toward the 

 west ; then it turns in a southerly direction until it reaches the bright 

 star Gamma (y), where it bends sharply to the north, and then quickly 

 sweeps off to the west once more, until it meets the group of stars 

 marking the head of Cetus. Tbence it runs south, gradually turning 



