Circe, stuffed the ears of his companions with wax, and lashed himself to a mast, until he had sailed out of hearing of the fatal songs. Others say that it was the Argonauts who passed safely, owing to the superior enchantment of Orpheus's singing, whereupon the Sirens threw themselves into the sea, and were transformed into rocks. The Latin poets give them wings, and in works

Siren.

of art they are often represented as birds with the faces of virgins, and are provided with musical instruments. There is obviously a close resemblance between the Mermaid (q.v.) of n. mythology, and these Græco-Mediterranean Sirens. The Loreley of the Rhine is only a riversiren, though a more exquisite enchantress than ever Greek fancy conceived.

SIRIASIS, n. 8i-ri'ă-sis [Gr. seiriasis, sunstroke-from seirios, hot, scorching]: in med., a disease of childhood, consisting of inflammation of the brain or its membranes, caused by the excessive heat of the sun.

SIRINAGUR': see SERINAGUR.

SIRI PUL, se're pól: town of Afghan Turkestan, 45 m. s.w. from Balkh; lat. 36° 21' n., long. 66° 28' e.; on a river which loses itself without reaching the Jihoon. It is cap. of an Uzbek chief. Pop. 18,000.

SIRIUS, n. siri-us [L. sirius, the dog-star-from Gr. seirios, hot, scorching: It. sirio], otherwise called Canicula, or the Dog-star: star of the first magnitude, the brightest in the heavens; in the constellation of Canis Maior, or the 'Great Dog.' It is about 125,716,000,000,000 miles (or 1,375,000 times the radius of the earth's orbit) distant from the earth: a ray of light (see LIGHT) from S. reaches the earth in about 21 years: see STARS. It has long been known to possess a 'proper motion' (i.e., an independent progressive motion), which was for a time believed to be in a straight line, but has now been shown to consist of an undulatory progressive motion on each side of a middle line. This motion was investigated by Prof. Peters of the Pulkowa Observatory, Russia, on the supposition that its anomalous character was produced by the attraction of some unseen neighbor, and his calculations being completed and verified (on this supposition) by Safford of

SIRKAR-SIRVENTE.

Washington, the distance of S. from the centre of gravity of both was determined to be 1,495 millions of miles. 1862, Jan., Alvan G. Clark of Cambridgeport, Mass., chancing to observe S. through a powerful telescope, detected a minute star (never before observed) at an angular distance of 7 from S., representing about 4,300 millions of miles, and it is generally believed that this is the disturber in question. By photometric measurement it has been shown that, supposing the intensity of the sun's light for unit of surface to equal that of S., it would require 400 suns at the distance of S. to send us the light which that star does; and our sun at the distance of S. would appear less than a star of the sixth magnitude, and be invisible to the naked eye. S. appears to be one of the stars that change color: to the ancients it appeared as a red star; at present it is noticeable for brilliant whiteness. Egyptians called this star Sothis, and at one time its 'Heliacal Rising' (q.v.) was a sure forerunner of the rising of the Nile; while among the Romans it was considered as a star of evil omen, whose appearance above the horizon coincided with (or even caused) the unhealthful and oppressive heats of summer. Hence the origin of the various superstitions regarding the Dog Days (q.v.), many of which are still current, e.g., that dogs are then liable to madness.The term 'dog star' was applied also to Procyon, a bright star in Canis Minor, whose heliacal rising differs by only a few days from that of Sirius.

The

SIRKAR, n. sér' kér: a Hindu clerk or accountant; a cir car; the government.

SIRLOIN, n. sér loyn [F. surlonge, a sirloin of beeffrom sur, over; longe, a loin-a popular etymology is giver in the story that the loin was sportively knighted by Charles II. J: a loin of beef.

SIRNAME: see SURNAME.

SIROCCO, n. si-rōk kō [It. sirocco; Sp. siroco, the sirocco from Ar. sharq, the east]: the hot parching wind which passes over the s. of Italy, Malta, and Sicily in the latter part of summer and autumn; supposed to originate in the Sahara or Great Desert of Africa. See SIMOOM: HARMATTAN

SIRRAH, г. sir ră [a supposed but scarcely probable compound of sir, ha, or ho: Icel. sira, sirrah, a term of contempt]: a word used in anger, contempt, or reproach, sometimes in familiarity, in addressing.

SIRUP, a., more usually spelled SYRUP, n. 8ir'up [F. sirop, sweet juice-from Sp. xarope, a medicinal drinkfrom Ar. sharab, a beverage, syrup]: the juice of vegetables or fruit sweetened with sugar. SIR'UPED, a. -upt, moistened with sirup or sweet juice. SIR'UPY, a. -ŭp-i, like sirup, or partaking of its qualities.-See SYRUP.

SIRVENTE, n. sér-vángť' [F. sirvente-from L. servirě, to serve]: literally, a poem of service; in the middle ages, a particular kind of poetry in common use among the troubadours.

SISAL HEMP, sis'al hěmp (Agave): fibre-plant, of which there are many varieties. This name is applied to the fibro also. The fibre, known as Mexican grass, henequen, and by various other names, has been in common use since the time of the Aztecs, by whom it was employed. It is now being largely produced in and exported from Yucatan and Mexico, is coming into prominence in Cuba and the Bahamas, and is being grown experimentally in Florida. Plants were brought from Yucatan to Fla. 1836 and at later dates. Several patches now growing wild can be traced to plants set out at least 40 years ago.

The plant cannot be profitably grown above the frostline. Though it can be produced in rather poor land, it gives much better returns in fertile soils. The laud should be well plowed, and the plants set in rows about 12 ft. apart one way and 6 ft. the other. About 600 plants per acre will be required, Much closer setting is often practiced, but is not to be commended. Plants should be about 18 in. high when set, and should be put out during the rainy season. Weeds must be kept down by cultivation, and suckers should be promptly removed. The latter can be kept in the nursery till they are large enough to set in the field. A much more prolific source of supply is the flower-stalk or 'pole' of the mature plant, which grows 15 to 20 ft. high, and from which buds, which form plants, start after the flowers have fallen. Leaves for fibre should be not less than 3 ft. long. Such leaves can be obtained from plants in 3 to 5 years after they are set, and the size increases considerably with the age of the plant. A plantation remains productive 10 to 30 years, according to the cultivation and the climate. A fully grown plant should yield about 40 leaves, and from an acre of good land 1,000 to 1,500 lbs. of clean fibre should be obtained. Considerable machinery is needed to prepare the fibre for use. As it is injured less by dampness, the fibre makes better ropes than the true hemp. It is also largely used in manufacture of hammocks.

SISCO, sis'kō, properly Cis'co (Corregonus Hoyi): one of the smaller Whitefishes, the genus giving name to a subfamily of Salmonida. It is called also Moon-eye, and is thus far found (at great depth) only in Lakes Michigan, Erie, and Ontario. It is small (seldom over lb.) and rare, and is of little value.-The name is applied also in Ind. and Wis. to the Lake or Michigan Herring (C. Artedi), a valuable food-fish abundant in shallow waters of the Great Lakes and adjacent small lakes of the northwest.

SISCOWET, sis kō-wět, or SISKAWITS, sis'kaw-its (Salvelinus namaycush, var. Siscowet): variety or sub-species of the Lake Trout, found only in Lake Superior, and rare there as compared with the ordinary species. The Indian name is an Ojibewa word, meaning 'cooks itself,' the fish being so fat that it can be set on fire and made to cook itself. In the frying pan it never requires pork-fat, like the drier common lake trout; in fact, it is too oily when fresh: but when salted and broiled, after long steeping in water, it is so delicious that it is consumed mostly in mar

SISKIN-SISMONDI.

kets near its haunts. It was described first by Agassiz in Lake Superior (1850). To those familiar with it, it has enough peculiarities of shape and markings to be readily distinguished from the Namaycush. Unlike the latter, it is said to spawn at all seasons. The average weighe is 41 lbs., the maximum about 30 lbs., half that of its congener.

SISKIN, n. 8is'kin [Dan. sisgen; Norw. sisk; Sw. siska, a siskin: Dut. sissen, to twitter like small birds] small singing-bird, of yellowish hue; a favorite cage-bird, allied to the Goldfinch, also to the Redpoll; also to the Yellowbird of N. America

SISMOGRAPH, n. sis'mō-grăf: see under SEISMOG

RAPHY.

SISMOMETER: see SEISMOMETER (under SEISMOG

RAPHY).

SISMONDI, sis-mòn'di, F. sēs-mōng-dễ', JEAN CHARLES LEONARD DE: historian: 1773, May 9-1842, June 25; b. Geneva; of Italian descent. He studied at the 'College' or high school of Geneva; and then entered the university. His father's pecuniary reverses made it necessary for S. to quit the univ. and become a banker's clerk, at Lyon. During the French Revolution, S. took refuge in England, with his family; and 1795 they bought a small farm near Pescia, in Tuscany, where the smallness of their means rendered it necessary for S. almost literally to put his hand to the plow. He had now, however, leisure for literature. In 1798 he began to collect materials for his History of the Italian Republics. In 1803 appeared a work on political economy, De la Richesse Commerciale, in which he writes like a decided follower of Adam Smith, though at a later period, in his Nouveaux Principes d'Économie Politique (1819), he abandoned the views of his youth. The 16 vols. of his Histoire des Républiques Italiennes (180718) gave him a good rank among contemporary historians: it is now considered the best, though not the most extensive, of his works. In 1813 appeared his Littérature du Midi de l'Europe (Literature of the South of Europe,' Eng. by Roscoe, frequently reprinted). In 1819 he began his greatest work, Histoire des Français, with which ho was occupied until his death-publishing 29 vols. in 23 years. In the same year he married Miss Allen, an English lady, whom he had previously met in Italy: the mar riage was a happy one. Thereafter he resided mostly in Geneva.-S. contributed more to historical literature than any other writer of his time, and the labor which he bestowed on his works can seldom have been surpassed. 'Nine times,' he says, 'have I traversed Italy, and I have visited every place which has been the scene of any great historical event.' For 20 years he worked habitually eight hours a day. Both as worker and thinker, he was thoroughly conscientious. He was deficient in intellectual acuteness and in breadth of grasp, and showed himself capable at times of being influenced by prejudice: his style, moreover, is not notable for vigor or precision; but he shows solid judgment, unflagging industry, and unwavering sin

cerity. Sainte-Beuve happily named him 'the Rollin of French history.' His private character was singularly amiable and benevolent.-See Quarterly Review, 1843, Sep.; Vie et Travaux de Sismondi (Paris 1845); also his Correspondence with Mademoiselle de St. Aulaire (Paris 1863), and his Lettres Inédites à Madame d'Albany (1864).

SIST, v. sist [L. sistěrě, to cause to stand, to stop]: in Scot. civil and eccles. law, to stop; not to go further in the mean time; to cite or summon. SIST'ING, imp. SIST'ED, pp. TO SIST PROCEDURE, to delay judicial proceedings in a cause. TO SIST ONE'S SELF, to take a place at the bar of a court where one's cause is to be tried.

SISTAN', LAKE OF: see SEISTAN.

SISTER, n. sis'ter [Goth. swistar; Pol. siostra; Dan. söster; Dut. zuster; Sw. syster, a sister: comp. Skr. svasar, she who pleases or consoles; svasti, joy, happiness: L. 80ror, sister]: a female born of the same parents as another person-the male is called a brother; a woman of the same faith or society: V. in OE., to be sister; to resemble greatly. SIS TERLY, a. -, like a sister; affectionate. SIS TERLESS, a. -les, having no sister. SIS'TERING, a. in OE., allied; contiguous. SISTER-IN-LAW, n. a husband's or a wife's sister; a brother's wife. SIS'TERHOOD, n. -hûd, a society of females united in one faith or order. STEP or HALF SISTER, a sister by one parent only.