I see it; but it ought to hang over something better than a Peacock’s tail. It so happens that the Telescope comes between them. Below the Peacock, and close round the south pole, is the constellation Octant. Now for the last quarter, between the Cross and the Peacock. I know part of that--the Cross’s Pointers. But what are those three stars a little below the Pointers, toward the Peacock? They are the Southern Triangle. Between the Cross and the Pole is the Fly; while between the Triangle and the Pole is the Bird of Paradise. What a cold place to put so delicate a bird! But to what constellation do the two Pointers to the Cross belong? To the Centaur’s two fore feet. The last of my circumpolar stars are those of the Altar, lying north of the Triangle, a little to the left of the Pointers. You may see them on the edge of the Milky Way--two stars close together, and four others to the right further apart. The Compasses, hardly to be noticed, are between the Altar and the Pointers.” * * * * * This was a long lesson, requiring much study afterwards. When Mr. Marple thought the lad knew the southern stars near the pole, he was ready to advance with the constellations again, and proposed to take a fresh round. “We will,” said he, “take another sweep round the heavens, embracing the space between our old circle of the Cross and that over the equator, though I will not take equatorial stars now. May we begin at the Crown, father? Between the Cross and Crown is the Altar. North of and near the Crown is Sagittarius the Archer, beside which is the Scorpion. How can I tell that? The Scorpion has a line of bright stars coming down south to the Altar, with a twist like a curl in its tail. What is that bright red star at the upper end of it? Antares of the Scorpion. The bright star near it further north is in the Libra or Scales. The fine star as far from the Pointers as they are from the Pole is in the shoulder of the Centaur, half horse and half man. Is he fighting anything? Yes; he is running his spear through the mouth of the Wolf, which is stretched between Antares and the Pointers. The Centaur comes down to the Cross, and goes up north to the great Hydra, on which the Crow is perched. What a beautiful star that is over Centaur, about twice as far from the Cross as that from the Pole! That is Spica in the Virgin, close to the Crow. That makes up one quarter of our second circle. Looking still to the right, and north of the Cross, do you see any good-sized stars? No, father, there is nothing worth looking at for the next quarter beyond the Cross and Ship till we get to Sirius. Yet there are the Pneumatic Pump and the Mariner’s Compass. The great Hydra stretches itself all from the Scorpion, under the Crow, the Cup, and the Sextant, from near Antares to Canis Minor, the Little Dog. Where is the Little Dog?