The constellations noted by the ancients on the South side of the _Zodiac_, were fifteen, _viz._ the _Whale_; the river _Eridanus_; the _Hare_; _Orion_; the _Great Dog_; _Little Dog_; the Ship _Argo_; _Hydra_; the _Centaur_; the _Cup_; the _Crow_; the _Wolf_; the _Altar_; the _Southern Crown_; and the _Southern Fish_. To these have been lately added the following, _viz._ The _Phœnix_; the _Crane_; the _Peacock_; the _Indian_; the _Bird of Paradise_; the _Southern Triangle_; the _Fly_; _Cameleon_; the _Flying Fish_; _Toucan_, or the _American Goose_; the _Water Serpent_, and the _Sword Fish_. The ancients placed those particular constellations or figures in the Heavens, either to commemorate the deeds of some great man, or some notable exploit or action; or else took them from the fables of their religion, _&c_. And the modern astronomers do still retain them, to avoid the confusion that would arise by making new ones, when they compare the modern observations with the old ones. [Sidenote: _Unformed Stars._] Some of the principal Stars have particular names given them, as _Syrius_, _Arcturus_, _&c._ There are also several Stars that are not reduced into constellations, and these are called _Unformed Stars_. [Sidenote: The _Galaxy_, or _Milky Way_.] Besides the Stars visible to the naked eye, there is a very remarkable space in the Heavens, called the _Galaxy_, or _Milky Way_. This is a broad circle of a whitish hue, like milk, going quite round the whole Heavens, and consisting of an infinite number of small Stars, visible thro’ a telescope, tho’ not discernable by the naked eye, by reason of their exceeding faintness; yet with their light they combine to illustrate that part of the Heavens where they are, and to cause that shining whiteness. The places of the fixed Stars, or their relative situations one from another, have been carefully observed by astronomers, and digested into catalogues. The first among the _Greeks_, who reduced the Stars into a catalogue, was _Hypparchus_, who, from his own observations, and of those who lived before him, inserted 1022 Stars into his catalogue, about 120 years before the Christian _Æra_: This catalogue has been since enlarged and improved by several learned men, to the number of 3000, of which there are a great many telescopical, and not to be discerned by the naked eye; and these are all ranked in the catalogue as the Stars of the seventh magnitude. It may seem strange to some, that there are no more than this number of Stars visible to the naked eye; for sometimes in a clear night they seem to be innumerable: but this is only a deception of our sight, arising from their vehement sparkling, while we look upon them confusedly, without reducing them into any order; for there can seldom be seen above 1000 Stars in the whole Heavens with the naked eye at the same time; and if we should distinctly view them, we shall not find many but what are inserted upon a good _Celestial_ Globe.