THE MOON 89 



that that particular village usually did see the new moon before 

 any one else. The story is interesting as suggesting some of 

 the difficulties of a lunar calendar. 



It will be found similarly that if an attempt is made to 

 measure the time between one full moon and the next, or between 

 the waxing moon being half full until it is half full again, though 

 the period is about twenty-nine days, there is not perfect con- 

 stancy, the moon not moving round the earth with equal velocity. 

 If desired, this might be used to lead up to a consideration 

 of the different calendars which have been employed. Some 

 account of these will be found in Johnson's Mathematical Geo- 

 graphy. 



If it is possible to include in the Nature Study course any 

 observations on the tides, these observations should, of course, 

 in the first instance be directed towards showing that just as 

 the moon's phases may be divided into two fortnights, a fort- 

 night of waxing and a fortnight of waning, so the tides show 

 fortnightly periods, there being two spring and two neap tides 

 every month. Very little observation, with the assistance of 

 the Almanack, will show that the spring tides nearly coincide 

 with new and full moon, while the neap tides occur in the inter- 

 vening periods. The full explanation of the relation would 

 carry the matter beyond the Nature Study stage. At this stage 

 the teacher should rest content with a mere collection of observa- 

 tions, and a suggestion of the probable relation between the 

 tides and the phases of the moon, as shown by the observations. 



In conclusion, we may borrow a suggestion from Maunder' s 

 The Heavens and their Story, and suggest that the teacher be on 

 the look-out for mentions of the moon and its changes in literature, 

 especially in poetry. Very often the astronomy in these cases 

 is very shaky, and the pupils may very well be commissioned 

 to observe for themselves the " horned moon/' with a view of 

 trying to find out why it is that the Ancient Mariner must be 

 regarded as in error when he declared that he had seen it with 



"One bright star within the nether tip." 



We have already seen that, whatever the poets and novelists 

 may say, the young crescent moon cannot be seen to rise, for 



