Fig. 630.—Orion, the Giant.
Winter will bring
Orion
([Fig. 629]). He appears in November and remains where we can see him through December, January, February and March. Orion is one of the most brilliant of constellations. The strenuous hunter has but one visible foot, the other being hidden by his pet hare seated in front of it; so we are obliged to make the star, man with one foot. The fairy tale says that he was a giant and the mightiest hunter ever known. There is a star on each of his shoulders and one on his cheek, forming a triangle; then there is another star down on his left foot and one on his right knee. Trace the mighty hunter and cut him out as you did the other constellations. Draw a line from star to star and, after adding the three stars which form Orion’s belt, pierce holes in all, look through them ([Fig. 630]) and make friends with the harmless, starry giant. [Fig. 631] is
Fig. 631.—Taurus, the Bull.
Taurus,
a very lively-looking bull for one so aged; possibly the stars, being bright and cheery, keep the milk-white creature from growing old. Only a portion of the bull can be seen; other stars hide the remainder. Taurus must be greatly dazzled by the stars, for there is actually one in each of his eyes, the two forming the ends of the V-shaped group of stars across his face. The tip of each horn is decked with a glorious star, while on the Bull’s neck is a cluster of stars called the Pleiades. These stars were in all seven beautiful sisters, daughters of the giant Atlas; but one star daughter married a mortal and lost her brightness for doing so; consequently you can now see but six star sisters.