The ancients always represented Virgo, the Virgin, with a sheaf of wheat in one hand and a sickle in the other. The Virgin and the harvest always went together in the minds of the ancients and this accounts for the pictures of Virgo in the almanacs of the present time. =Libra, the Balance.=--A small constellation named for the ancient Roman pound weight. [Illustration] The constellation of Libra is not nearly as old as the others in the zodiac, in fact it is thought that there were only eleven constellations in the zodiac when they were first mapped out thousands of years ago, although there were twelve signs or spaces in the zodiac. Its position is shown in Fig. 178. Then in the days of the Roman Empire, about 300 years before Christ, some genius clipped the claws of the Scorpion and made its stars into a pair of scales. This was a very clever idea, for the autumnal equinox then took place in this sign of the zodiac, and the stars in this sign were given the name of Libra, as the equal days and nights called to mind the balance. [Illustration: FIG. 177.--CONSTELLATIONS OF VIRGO THE VIRGIN.] [Illustration: FIG. 178.--LIBRA, LION, SCORPIO, VIRGO.] =Scorpius, the Scorpion.=--A summer constellation. If Libra takes up only a small part of one sign of the zodiac Scorpius makes up for it by nearly covering two signs. To the old astrologers, Scorpius was the “power of darkness” and the “accursed constellation,” and when they cast their _horoscopes_ they attributed to it “woe and discord, war and disease.” [Illustration] The constellation of Scorpius is one of the very few which really looks its part. In the end of its curved tail there are two stars which are ready to sting if he ever strikes, but he has never struck yet. The heart of the Scorpion is a big, bright red star called _Antares_, which means the rival of Mars, and when Mars is in the constellation of Scorpius it is hard to tell them apart. Antares will prove useful in finding the Scorpion as there are no other bright stars in that part of the sky. The position of Scorpius is shown in Fig. 178. =Sagittarius, the Archer.=--A summer constellation: It is made up of many stars which can be seen with the naked eye and is always pictured in the almanacs as a _centaur_, or man-horse, shooting an arrow from a bow at the heart of the Scorpion. [Illustration] Sagittarius is a fine constellation, right in the path of the Milky Way, and this makes it easy to find. There are several interesting things in this constellation and among them are the clusters of stars and nebulæ. Then there are seven stars in Sagittarius, which make a little dipper turned upside down, and because it is in the Milky Way it is called the _milk dipper_; when you once find it, you will never be able to see Sagittarius again without seeing the milk dipper. [Illustration: FIG. 179.--LYRA, AQUILA, CAPRICORNUS.]