the series comes to an end.

[Illustration: FIG. 6.--Map of the World on Mercator's Projection,
showing a portion of the progress of the Total Solar Eclipse of August
30, 1905, across the surface of the earth.]

[4] Astronomical Essays (p. 40), London, 1907.

[5] In some cases the periods between the dates of the corresponding
eclipses _appear_ to include a greater number of days than ten; but this
is easily explained when allowance is made for intervening _leap_ years
(in each of which an _extra_ day has of course been added), and also for
variations in local time.

CHAPTER VIII

FAMOUS ECLIPSES OF THE SUN

What is thought to be the earliest reference to an eclipse comes down to
us from the ancient Chinese records, and is over four thousand years
old. The eclipse in question was a solar one, and occurred, so far as
can be ascertained, during the twenty-second century B.C. The story runs
that the two state astronomers, Ho and Hi by name, being exceedingly
intoxicated, were unable to perform their required duties, which
consisted in superintending the customary rites of beating drums,
shooting arrows, and the like, in order to frighten away the mighty
dragon which it was believed was about to swallow up the Lord of Day.
This eclipse seems to have been only partial; nevertheless a great
turmoil ensued, and the two astronomers were put to death, no doubt with
the usual _celestial_ cruelty.

The next eclipse mentioned in the Chinese annals is also a solar
eclipse, and appears to have taken place more than a thousand years
later, namely in 776 B.C. Records of similar eclipses follow from the
same source; but as they are mere notes of the events, and do not enter
into any detail, they are of little interest. Curiously enough the
Chinese have taken practically no notice of eclipses of the moon, but
have left us a comparatively careful record of comets, which has been
of value to modern astronomy.

The earliest mention of a _total_ eclipse of the sun (for it should be
noted that the ancient Chinese eclipse above-mentioned was merely
partial) was deciphered in 1905, on a very ancient Babylonian tablet, by
Mr. L.W. King of the British Museum. This eclipse took place in the year
1063 B.C.

Assyrian tablets record three solar eclipses which occurred between
three and four hundred years later than this. The first of these was in
763 B.C.; the total phase being visible near Nineveh.

The next record of an ecli