438 Lunar Sketches. 



Crater-chains of Copernicus. — To the details previously 

 given, the following' may be added. — 1855, April 2. 3-^-inch 

 achromatic ; i of ring of Copernicus enlightened. The row of 

 craters casts a considerable external shadow (so 1866, April 

 23. 5|-inch).— 1861, April 18. 5|-inch achromatic. "TheW. 

 portion which joins the ring of Stadius is on the terminator. 

 It is evidently a low ridge, blown through in many places by a 

 succession of little bowls, whose summits caught the sun in a 

 wild, strange, confused manner, and exhibited two interrupted 

 parallel lines of little, bright, irregularly-disposed specks." — 

 1862, Feb. 8. 5^-inch achromatic. Copernicus its own breadth 

 within the terminator. The region " wonderfully seen, and in 

 much fuller detail than in B. and M. I seem to see through 

 and beyond all their work. The 1ST. extremity of the crater- 

 chain dies out in a faint narrow rill [cleft] , otherwise than in 

 B. and M. The S. and S.W. slope of Copernicus are thickly 

 studded with very minute craters, omitted by them, but really 

 forming an unbroken dotted continuation of the Crater-Region, 

 as far as their Copernicus C [at the N.E. end of Ricciolr's 

 Rhceticus], and as far as ( ? if not beyond) their double crater 

 Copernicus A, towards Reinhold. Thus it is evident to sense 

 that the whole crater-region is posterior to Copernicus. ,} — 

 1862, April 8. 5-^-inch achromatic. Copernicus entered half its 

 own breadth. "Very fine definition, tranquilly undulating, 

 which would have defied photography, with cool but not 

 severe N.E. gentle breeze — Copernicus a glorious sight ; con- 

 tinuation of crater-chain most distinct all along S.W. slope." 

 — 1864, Dec. 8. S-^-inch achromatic. Terminator through 

 Tleraclides (E. cape of Sinus Iridum, K). The row of minute 

 craters ending with Stadius C (B. and M.) is confluent for a 

 short distance, otherwise than they have figured it. — 1865, 

 Jan. 6 (see Stadius). The crater-chains "are very wonderful; 

 they seem much more inosculating and rill- like than as given 

 in B. and M., or than as I used to see them. Three or four 

 craters N. of B. and M/s are evidently blown into one long 

 trough." — 1866, Feb.- 23 (see Stadius). The crater-chain is 

 "exceedingly rough and irregular, but casting some shadow; 

 enough to show that the rings of the little pits are of a fair 

 proportional elevation. It is much like a mole-run, with holes 

 in it. It leads straight on to the E. side of Stadias." The simile 

 hero employed would be naturally suggested by a residence 

 in the country, where such objects frequently meet the eye. 

 In the course of the following autumn I came across a " run " 

 of this nature in a meadow, fifty-four or fifty-five yards in 

 length, ending by inclosing an oval space. Without including 

 two small side branches, 1 counted upwards of ninety larger 

 or smaller mole-hills on this ridge, nowhere more than two 



