In ancient times, Præsepe, the Manger, was an infallible weather sign, for if there was the slightest moisture in the air, its faint light was invisible. If the moisture was not sufficient to also obscure the two stars on either side, only light showers of rain might be expected, but if the two stars were also hidden, there would be a very bad storm. If the two stars and the Manger were all three seen clearly, one could depend on the weather not to spoil any plans for that particular evening. "When shine the Bears, and 'twixt the asses seen, though faint, their Manger, ocean proves serene." --_Idylliums of Theocritus_ (FAWKE'S _Trans._) In the days of Aratus, 270 B. C., this advice as to how to judge the weather by means of the tiny cloud on the back of Cancer, the Crab, was taken so seriously that he gave it in quite extensive detail in his poem _Phenomena_: "Watch, too, the Manger. Like a faint mist in the far North it plays the guide between Cancer. Around it are borne two faintly gleaming stars, not very far apart, nor very near but distant to the view a cubit's length, one on the North, while the other looks toward the South. They are called the Asses and between them is the Manger. On a sudden when all the sky is clear, the Manger wholly disappears, while all the stars that go on either side seem drawn to one another: not slight then is the storm, with which the fields are deluged. If the Manger darken and both stars remain unaltered, they herald rain. But if the Ass to the North of the Manger shine feebly through a faint mist, while the Southern Ass is gleaming bright, expect a wind from the South: but if in turn the Southern Ass is cloudy and the Northern bright, watch for the North Wind." --_English trans._, by G. R. MAIR. In English folklore, Præsepe is called the Beehive, although this name was likely given it after telescopes were invented and it was seen that the dim light was resolved into a multitude of little flecks, like a hive of golden bees. Præsepe passes the meridian about 9 P. M. on March 15th or 2 o'clock A. M. on the morning of January 1st. It is best seen on a clear night when the moon is absent from the sky, and a glass of any kind will make it more interesting. Both the Crab and the Hydra, who also has a constellation in the sky, are quaint ways of commemorating the adventures of Hercules, but his fierce Nemean lion is the most important just at this instant, so on with the line of floats! BERENICE'S HAIR [Figure 52]