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reptiles, or of the order meantes, an order instituted by Liiinteuson account of this genus of animals alone. Body naked, withtwo feet, and without a tail ; feet with arms and nails.

S.Lacertin a, or the Ell-shaped Siren , is most nearly alliedto the lizard-tribe, but differs from it in having only two feet, andthose armed with claws; the body is shaped like an eel ; itscolour is a dark brown, speckled with white : it is often more thantwo feet long, and inhabits the stagnant water of South Carolina ;Sometimes, however, quitting water for the land.

SIRENES, the Sirens , in fabulous history, were celebratedsongstresses, who were ranked among the demigods of antiquity.Hyginus places their birth among the consequences of the rape ofProserpine. Ovid makes them daughters of the river-god Ache-loiis by the Muse Calliope, or Melpomene . Their number wasthree, and their names were Partheuope, (who gave its ancientname to Naples,) Lygeia, and Leucosia ; or, as others say, Moipe,Aglaophonas, and Thelxiope.

SIREX, in zoology, a genus of animals belonging to the classof insects, and to the order of hymenoplerae. Mouth has twostrong jaws; palpi or feelers two; antenna: truncated; filiform andexserted, stiff, serrated sting; abdomen mucronated, sessile;wings lanceolated. There are 26 species, of which G. gigas is thelargest; it exceeds the hornet, and is very voracious. See PlateCXXXVI.

SIRUIND, SERINDA, or SERINDE, a country of Iiin-dostan, N. of Delhi .

Siuhind, or Serinde, the capital of the above territory, 140miles S. E. of Lahore, and 148 N. W. of Delhi .

S1R1, a mountain and town of Asia, in Thibet . Lon. 93. 45.E. Lat. 28. 5. N.

Sj RIAN, a sea-port-town of Asia , in Pegu, 72 miles S. of Pegu,and 116 E. of Persaim.

SIR1AS1S, [o-ijiao-ir,] an inflammation of the brain and its mem-brane, through an excessive heat of the sun.

SIRIK, a town of France, in the department of the Moselle ,and duchy of Lorrain, seated on the Moselle , 14 miles S. E. ofLuxemburg .

S1RINAGUR, an extensive rugged country of Asia , betweenHindoostan Proper and Thibet ; bounded on the N. and N. E.by the mountains of Thibet ; on the S. E. by Napaul ; on the S.by Rolnlla; on the S. W. by Delhi , and on the N. W. byLahore .

Sikinagur, the capital of die above country, 70 miles E. N. E.©f Hurdwar, and 210 N. N. E. of Delhi .

SIRIUS, in astronomy, is a bright star in the constellationCanis Major . See Astronomy.

Sirius Island, an island in the S. Pacific Ocean, about 18miles in circuit; Lon. 162. 30. E. Lat. 10. 52. S.

SIRM1UM, or SIRM1CH, a town of Sclavonia, capital of acounty so named, 42 miles S. E. of Esseck, and 27 N. W. ofBelgrade . Lon. 20. 19. E. Lat. 45. 13. N.

SlllMOND, James, a learned French Jesuit , the son of amagistrate, born at Riom , in 1559. After studying at the collegeof Billom , be joined the society in 1576. In 1588, he began totranslate the works of the Greek fathers, and to write Notes upon■Apollinaris Sidonius . In 1590, his general Aquaviva sent for himto Rome to be bis secretary ; which office he executed success-fully for 16 years; visiting libraries, studying antiquities, and con-sulting MSS. He also assisted Card. Bardisius in his Ecclesiasti-cal Annals. lie returned to Paris , in 1606 ; where he publishedmany works. Lewis XIII. appointed him his confessor, in 1637.Jn 1645, he returned to assist at the election of a new general.He spent much of his time in collecting the works of the writers°f the middle age, which he published with notes. His whole'Yorks amounted to 15 vols. folio, of which five are entirely his own.-He died at Rome , Oct. 7. 1651, aged 92.

SIROCCO, or SCI LtOCHO, a periodical wind which generallymows in Italy and Dalmatia every year about Easter . It blow’s,lo m the S. E. by E. it is attended with beat, but not rain ; itsordinary period is 20 days, and it usually ceases at sunset.

SlRo\vy ( a town of Hindoostan, in Agimere : 48 miles N.°f Cbeitore, and 60 S. E. of Agimere, Lon. 74. 23. E. Lat.■*6. i. n,

SISON, Bastard Stone-Parsley; in botany, a genus ofP ants belonging to the class peutandria, and order digynia ;

Vol. iy.— no. 197,

natural order, Umbellatae. Fruit egg-shaped, streaked ; involucrafour-leaved. There are seven species.

S1SSEG, a town of Croatia , on the Save; 42 miles E. of Carl-stadt, and 21 of Zagravia. Lon. 16. 17. E. Lat. 46. 6. N.

S1SSOPOLI, or SIZEBOLI, a town of European Turkey ,in Romania , 25 miles S. of Mesembria, and 75 N. E. of Adria-nople.

SISTERON. a town of France , in the department of the LowerAlps, and province of Provence ; 30 miles N. E. of Apt, 35 S.W.of Embrun, and 45 N. E. of Aix .

SISTRUM, or CISTRUM , an ancient musical instrument usedby the priests of Isis and Osiris .

SIS\ MBRIUM, Water-Ckessf.s ; in botany, a .genus ofplants belonging to the ciass tetradyiumiia, and order siliquosa ;natural order, Siliquosa:. Siliqua, or pod, opens with valves some-what straight ; calyx and corolla expanded. There are fifty-threespecies.

S. Nasturitium, Common Water-chess, grows on the brinksof rivulets and water-ditches. The leaves have from six to eightpairs of smooth succulent and sessile pinnse ; the flowers are smalland white, and grow in short spikes or tufts. The leaves have amoderately pungent taste, emit a quick penetrating smell, likethat of mustard-seed, but much weaker. Their pungent matteris taken up both by watery and spirituous menstrua, and accom-panies the aqueous juice, which issues copiously upon expression.It is very volatile, so as to arise in great part in distillation withrectified spirit, as well as with water, and almost totally to exhalein drying the leaves. Water-cresses obtain a place in the MateriaMedica for the antiscorbutic qualities, which have been long verygenerally acknowledged by physicians. They are also supposedto purify the blood and humours, and to open visceral obstructions.They are nearly allied to scurvy-grass, but are more mild andpleasant, and for this reason are frequently eaten as salad. In thepharmacopoeias the juice of this plant is directed with that ofscurvy-grass and Seville oranges ; and Dr. Cullen has remarked,that the addition of acids renders the juices of the plant* siliquos®more certainly effectual, by determining them more powerfully toan acescent fermentation.

SISYPHUS , in fabulous history, the son of .Eolus and Enarete,and brother of Athamas and Salmoneus. He married Merope on*of the Pleiades, who bore him Glaucus. He built Ephyra inPeloponnesus, called afterwards Corinth .

SISYR1NCHIUM, in botany, a genus of plants belonging tothe class gynandria, and order triandria: natural order, Ensat®.Spatha is diphyllous; petals two-leaved; capsule three-celled,Inferior. There are six species.

SIT OPHYLAX, [2i'r«$>uXr«f, Gr. from c-no;, corn, and, keeper,] in antiquity, an Athenian magistrate, who had the super-.intendenre ot the corn, and was to take care that nobody boughtmore than was necessary for tiie provision of his family.

SI I FA, the Nuthatch, in ornithology, a genus belonging tothe class of aves, and order of pica. Bill for the most part straight;on the lower mandible there is a small angle ; nostrils small, co-vered with bristles reflected over them ; tongue short, horny at theend, jagged ; toes placed three iorward and one backward ; th*middle-toe joined closely at the base to both the outermost: backtoe as large as the middle one. There are 11 species.

SFF F1NGBURN, a town of England, in Kent , II miles S. E.of Rochester, 16 W. of Canterbury , and 40 E. by S. of London.

SITUS, in algebra and geometry, denotes the situation of lines,surfaces, &c.

SIVA, or SHEEVAH, a name given by the Hindoos to theSupreme Being, considered as the avenger or destroyer.

SIVAN, in Jewish chronology, the tjiird month of the Jewish sacred year, and 9th of their civil; answering to part of our Mayand June.

S1UM, Water-Parsnip ; in bolany, a genus of plants belong-ing to the class peutandria, and order digynia; natural order, Um-bellate. Fruit a little ovated, streaked ; involucrum many-leaved;petals heart-shaped. There are 19 species.

SIVBAL, SI V RAY, orCIVlvO\, a town of France , in thedepartment of Vienne, and province of Poitou ; sealed,on theCharente, 25 miles from Poitiers .

SIU'l CH EN, one of the Kurule Islands, in the North PacificOcean . Lor., 5. E. Lat, 47.30, N,

7 SIWA^