78 
NATURE STUDY. 
group in the constellation Aquila, the Eagle, and the brightest 
star is called Altair, another of Ben Hur’s horses. Altair is 
one of the stars from which the moon’s distance is taken for 
computing a vessel’s longitude at sea; and when on the meridi¬ 
an it occupies almost exactly the same position in the sky that 
the sun does on the 12th day of April. 
“ The towering Eagle next doth boldly soar, 
As if the thunder in his claws he bore; 
He’s worthy Jove, since he, a bird, supplies 
The heaven with sacred bolts, and arms the skies.” 
Let the observer now direct his gaze ten or fifteen degrees to his 
left, but at about the same altitude and he will see a small cluster 
of four stars of about the third magnitude ar ranged in the form 
of a rhombus, i. e., an equilateral parallelogram with two obtuse 
and two acute angles. This form is sometimes spoken of as 
diamond shape, or lozenge shape. This is the distinguish¬ 
ing group of the constellation Dolphin, the Latin of which 
is Delphinus. To some this group is known by the name 
of Job’s Coffin, but from whom, or from what fancy, it first 
obtained this appellation, is not known. The Dolphin, accord¬ 
ing to some mythologists, was made a constellation by Nep¬ 
tune because one of these beautiful fishes had persuaded the 
goddess Amphitrite, who had made a vow of perpetual celibacy, 
to become the wife of that deity ; but others maintain that it is 
the dolphin which preserved the famous lyric poet and musi¬ 
cian Arion, who had set sail from Italy with great wealth, from 
being murdered by the ship’s crew. He begged permission to 
play a tune upon his lute before being put to death. This 
being granted, attracted a number of dolphins around the ship. 
As soon as he saw them he jumped into the sea and one of 
them, it is asserted, carried him triumphantly on his back safe 
to Taenarus. 
If the observer will now lower his gaze to a point about half 
way from the Dolphin to the horizon, he will be able to trace 
three lines of faint stars, all somewhat curved, but meeting so 
as to form a larged-sized triangle. This is the distinguishing 
group in the constellation Capricornus, another of the zodiacal 
constellations. Again, away in the southeast, at an altitude of 
