General Scouting Outdoors 203 



The classical legend has it that the nymph Callisto, 

 having violated her vow, was changed by Diana into a 

 bear, which, after death was immortalized in the sky by 

 Zeus. Another suggestion is that the earUest astronomers, 

 the Chaldeans, called these stars "the shining ones," and 

 their word happened to be very like the Greek Arktos 

 (a bear). Another explanation (I do not know who is 

 authority for either) is that vessels in olden days were 

 named for animals, etc. They bore at the prow the carved 

 efl&gy of their namesake, and if the "Great Bear," for 

 example, made several very happy voyages by setting out 

 when a certain constellation was in the ascendant, that 

 constellation might become known as the Great Bear's 

 Constellation. 



It is no doubt, because it is so conspicuous, that the Great 

 Bear is the oldest of all the constellations, in a human 

 historical sense. Although it has no resemblance to a 

 Bear, the tail part has obvious resemblance to a Dipper, 

 by which name it is known to most Americans. Therefore, 

 because so well known, so easily pointed out, and so helpful 

 in pointing out the other stars, this Dipper will be our 

 starting point and shall prove our Key to the whole sky. 



If you do not know the Dipper, get some one who does 

 to point it out; or look in the northern sky for the shape 

 shown in Cut, remembering that it goes aroimd the Pole 

 Star every twenty-four hours, so that at different times 

 it is seen at different places. 



Having found the Dipper, note carefully the two stars 

 marked b and a; these, the outer rim of the Dipper bowl 

 are called the Pointers, because they point to, or nearly 

 to, the Pole Star; the latter being about three dipper rims 

 (a d) away from the Dipper. 



Now, we have found the great Pole Star, which is called 

 by Indians the "Star that never moves" and the "Home 



