HERCULES.—­The eastern companion of Atlas, a fine ring-plain, about 46 miles in diameter, with a complex border, rising some 11,000 feet above a depressed floor.  There are few formations of its class and size which display so much detail in the shape of terraces, apparent landslips, and variation in brightness.  In the interior, S.E. of the centre, is a very conspicuous crater, which is visible as a bright spot when the formation itself is hardly traceable, two large craterlets slightly N. of the centre, and several faint little spots on the east of them.  The latter, detected some years ago by Herr Hackel of Stuttgart, are arranged in the form of a horse-shoe.  There are two small contiguous craters on the S.E. wall, one of which, a difficult object, was recently detected by Mr. W.H.  Maw, F.R.A.S.  The well-known wedge-shaped protuberance on the S. wall is due to a large irregular depression.  On the bright inner slope of the N. wall are manifest indications of a landslip.

ENDYMION.—­A large walled-plain, 78 miles in diameter, enclosed by a lofty, broad, bright border, surmounted in places by peaks which attain a height of more than 10,000 feet above the interior, one on the W. measuring more than 15,000 feet.  The walls are much terraced and exhibit two or three breaks.  The dark floor appears to be devoid of detail.  Schmidt, however, draws two large irregular mounds E. of the centre, and shows four narrow light streaks crossing the interior nearly parallel to the longer axis of the formation.

DE LA RUE.—­Notwithstanding its great extent, this formation hardly deserves a distinctive name, as from the lowness of its border it is scarcely traceable in its entirety except under very oblique light.  Schmidt, nevertheless, draws it with very definite walls, and shows several ridges and small rings in the interior.  Among these objects, a little E. of the centre, there is a prominent peak.

STRABO.—­A small walled-plain, 32 miles in diameter, connected with the N. border of the last.

THALES.—­A bright formation, also associated with the N. side of De la Rue, adjoining Strabo on the N.E.  Schmidt shows a minute hill in the interior.

There are several unnamed formations, large and small, between De la Rue and the limb, some of which are well worthy of examination.

WEST LONGITUDE 40 deg.  TO 20 deg.

MASKELYNE.—­A regular ring-plain, 19 miles in diameter, standing almost isolated in the Mare Tranquilitatis.  The floor, which includes a central mountain, is depressed some 3000 feet below the surrounding surface.  There are prominent terraces on the inner slope of the walls.  Schmidt shows no craters upon them, but Madler draws a small one on the E., the existence of which I can confirm.

MANNERS.—­A brilliant little ring-plain, 11 miles in diameter, on the S.E. side of the Mare Tranquilitatis.  There appears to be no detail whatever in connection with its wall.  It has a distinct central mountain.  About three diameters distant on the S.W. there is a bright crater, omitted by Madler and Neison.