250 
S I R 
S I R 
14. Sirex camel us.—The abdomen is black, the sides 
spotted with white ; the thorax smooth.—This is found in 
England and other European countries. 
15. Sirex emarginatus.—Black; thorax emarginate be¬ 
fore, and pale at the sides; the fore-legs are rufous.—It in¬ 
habits Germany. The antennae are black ; the head is 
black, with a pale spot on each side : the sides of the tho¬ 
rax are slightly serrate. The four front legs are rufous; the 
shanks are tipt with black; the hind ones are black; the 
thighs rufous. 
16. Sirex dromedarius.—Abdomen black, rufous in the 
middle, with a white dot on each side. The shanks are pale 
at the base.—It is chiefly found at Kiel, and resembles the 
sirex camelus. The head is black, with two white lines; the 
thorax is black, with a white dot before the wings; some of 
the segments of the abdomen are black, some rufous, one 
black, with a white spot on each side, and one is altogether 
black. 
17. Sirex pacca.—Abdomen black, two of the segments 
are rufous, the rest dotted with white.—This also is found at 
Kiel, and is the size of the sirex camelus. The antennae are 
black, a little thicker towards the tip; the thorax is villous 
and black, with two minute white spots on the fore margin ; 
the horn of the abdomen yellowish, sting rufous; legs com¬ 
pressed, black. 
18. Sirex similis.—Black; first segment of the abdomen 
at the base and second rufous, the rest with five yellow spots. 
—It inhabits the Cape of Good Hope. The head is black ; 
the orbits yellow; antennae ferruginous; the base and tip 
black; the thorax black, with a yellow dot on each side: 
the legs are rufous, the thighs black; the tail is pointed, with¬ 
out any projection. 
19. Sirex vespertilio.'—-Black; abdomen ferruginous, the 
base is black.—This is a small insect, and is found in divers 
parts of Germany. The antennae are black, with a whitish 
ring ; the tail is black beneath, without the appendage : the 
upper wings are white, with a broad brown patch before the 
tip, and white marginal dots; the legs are black, tip of the 
thighs and base of the shanks white. 
20. Sirex mariscus.—Of this species the abdomen is testa¬ 
ceous, the two last segments are black ; the thorax villous.— 
This is found in divers parts of Europe. Antennae yellow ; 
head with a yellow callous dot behind the eyes; the ab¬ 
domen beneath is black, spotted with yellow; it has no 
sting. 
21. Sirex troglodyta.—Smooth, black: abdomen with 
seven yellow dots, and two bands.—It inhabits Saxony. The 
legs are yellow; the thighs black. 
22. Sirex noctilia.—This is of a black-blue colour; the 
antennae are black; the thorax is villous; the abdomen 
testaceous in the middle.—It inhabits several parts of Ger¬ 
many,- and is about the size of the sirex mariscus. Thorax 
blue ; abdomen blue at the base and tip; wings yellowish ; 
legs yellow; hind ones compressed, black, the thighs yel¬ 
low. 
23. Sirex compressa.—Black; abdomen compressed, fer¬ 
ruginous ; the first and last segments are black.—It inhabits 
Barbary, and is very small. Legs white; thighs black; 
hind ones black; the shanks are compressed, black, with 
two yellow dots, and three bands. 
24. Sirex pygmseus.—Abdomen compressed, black, with 
two yellow dots and three bands.—It is a native of this 
country, and of other parts of Europe. This is one of the 
smallest of the European species, being, according to Lin¬ 
naeus, about the size of a gnat, with a black abdomen, mark¬ 
ed by three yellow bands, the middle of which is interrupted. 
.—It is found in Sweden. 
25. Sirex macilentus.—Black; abdomen compressed, yel¬ 
low at the sides. It inhabits Barbary, and resembles the 
next. The head is black with two yellow dots between the 
eyes The thorax black, with a yellow dot, and a larger 
one beneath ; the abdomen is yellow -at the sides, and pro¬ 
jecting into two bands on the back; the wings are hyaline ; 
the rib black beyond the middle; the legs are blqck; the 
fore-thighs are yellowish. 
26. Sirex tabidus.—Black; sides of the abdomen dotted 
with yellow ; fore shanks testaceous.—It inhabits England, 
and a specimen is in the British Museum. 
SIRGOOJAH, a district of Hindostan, province of Gund- 
waneh, situated about the 23d degree of north lat., and 
bounded on the east by the province of Bahar. It is hilly, 
and abounds with woods; consequently is poorly cultivated 
and thinly inhabited. It belongs to several Hindoo chiefs, 
who are tributary to the Nagpore Mahrattas. 
SIRGOOJAH, the capital of the above mentioned district, 
situated about 12 miles from the British frontier. It belongs 
to a native chief, who pays a small tribute to the rajah of 
Nagpore, but is now under the British protection. Lat. 23. 
5. N. long. 83. 50. E. 
SIRGOULIN, a town of Chinese Tartary. Lat. 41.53. N. 
Long. 119. 14. E. 
SIRHIND, an extensive district of Hindostan, province of 
Delhi, and situated between the 30th and 31st degrees of north 
lat. It is naturally a very barren and sandy country, and in 
many places destitute of water; but being near the capital, 
the Afghan emperor, Ferose III. caused several canals to be 
cut from the rivers Jumna and Suttuleje, in order to fertilize 
it. He also built a fortress called Sirhind, for] the purpose of 
protecting the canals; but both fortress and canals are now 
fallen to decay. The country is at present possessed by the 
Seiks; its principal towns are Patiala and Tahnesir. 
SIRHIND, the ancient capital of the above mentioned 
district, which was either built or repaired by sultan Ferose, 
about the year 1357, and for several centuries was a flourish¬ 
ing city, ornamented with innumerable mosques and beauti¬ 
ful gardens, all of which are now fallen to decay. Between 
this place and the city of Delhi are extensive plains, con¬ 
taining the towns of Panniput and Carnoul, renowned as the 
scene of great battles, both in ancient and modern times. 
Sirhind now belongs to a Seik chief named Bing Singh. 
Lat. 30. 40. N. long. 75. 55. E. 
SIRI, among the Romans, were subterranean caves or 
vaults, in which wheat could be kept sound and fresh for 
fifty years. 
SIRI (Vittorio), a writer in politics and history, was born 
at Parma about the year 1607: he was educated for the study 
of theology, and took the habit of the Benedictine order, in 
the monastery of St. John, and there began to publish a work 
entitled “ Mercurio Politico,” by which he acquired some, 
temporary celebrity. Fifteen volumes of this work appeared 
successively, containing an account of the public events 
from 1635 to 1655. After this he added to it “ Memoriae 
Reconditae,” in eight vols., which going back to 1601 come 
to 1640. The author not only records facts, but endeavours 
to investigate causes in the secret negocialions of cabinets, 
and to give the documents confirming his narrative. Of 
these pieces, a great number is to be found in his pub¬ 
lications, communicated by popes, nuncios and the ambassa¬ 
dors of different crowned heads, and especially by the mi¬ 
nisters of Louis XIV. Through the influence of Cardinal 
Mazarin, he was invited by that monarch to Paris, and 
presented to a secular abbey, on which occasion he quitted 
his religious habit for that of an ecclesiastic. He assumed 
to himself the title of counsellor, almoner, and historio¬ 
grapher to his Most Christian Majesty, and he spent all 
the latter years of his life at Pans, w’here he died in the 
year 1685, at the age of 78. He is characterized by bio¬ 
graphers as a man without any fixed principles, who had a 
venal pen, w'hich was always ready to justify and deiend 
any cause, provided he was liberally paid lor his services; yet 
the opportunities he possessed of gaining information from 
authentic sources, and the number of original documents pub¬ 
lished by him, have given a marked value to his works as 
materials for the history of his time. The circumstances of 
his being a foreigner - , and waiting in Italian voluminous 
publications little read in France, are said by Le Clerc to 
have induced him to speak more freely ot Louis XIII., his 
brother and ministers, than the French writers have done. 
The first four volumes of his “ Memoriae Reconditae” are 
extremly rare. A translation into the French language, of 
