The constellation Aquila is called by Al-Sufi _al-ukab_, the Eagle, or _al-nasr al-tâïr_, the flying vulture. According to the ancient poets the eagle carried nectar to Jupiter when he was hidden in a cave in Crete. This eagle also assisted Jupiter in his victory over the Giants and contributed to his other pleasures. For these reasons the eagle was consecrated to Jupiter, and was placed in the sky. Al-Sufi says, "There are in this figure three famous stars [γ, α, and β Aquilæ], which are called _al-nasr al-tâïr_." Hence is derived the modern name Altair for the bright star α Aquilæ. Al-Sufi says that the "common people" call "the three famous stars" _al-mîzân_, the Balance, on account of the equality of the stars." This probably refers to the approximately equal distances between γ and α, and α and β, and not to their relative brightness. He says "Between the bright one of the tail [ξ Aquilæ] and the star in the beak of the Hen [β Cygni] in the thinnest part of the Milky Way, we see the figure of a little earthen jar, of which the stars begin at the bright one in the tail, and extend towards the north-west. [This seems to refer to ε Aquilæ and the small stars near it.] They then turn towards the east in the base of the jar, and then towards the south-east to a little cloud [4, 5, etc. Vulpeculæ, a well-known group of small stars] which is found to the north of the two stars in the shaft of the Arrow [α and β Sagittæ]. The cloud is on the eastern edge of the jar, and the bright one on the tail on the western edge; the orifice is turned towards the flying Vulture [Aquila], and the base towards the north. Among these are distinguished some of the fourth, fifth, and sixth magnitudes [including, probably, 110, 111, 112, 113 Hercules, and 1 Vulpeculæ] and Ptolemy says nothing of this figure, except the bright star in the tail of the Eagle" (see figure). The above is a good example of the minute accuracy of detail in Al-Sufi's description. [Illustration: AL-SUFI'S "EARTHEN JAR."] The southern portion of Aquila was formerly called Antinous, who was said to have been a young man of great beauty born at Claudiopolis in Bithynia, and drowned in the Nile. Others say that he sacrificed his life to save that of the Emperor Hadrian, who afterwards raised altars in his honour and placed his image on coins.[400]