way of result, affecting morals and conduct. In the fifteenth century, as now, these latter were not so much in the direction of that coarseness which somehow or other is often called immorality, but rather in that of a lack of moral discrimination and will. The mediæval Renaissance found its salvation in the emphasis of individuality, alike in religion, in the state, and in industrial activity. At the present we seem tending in another direction, and seeking a positive moral guidance in an enlarged conception of social duty and solidarity; and the position which employed labor occupies in regard to them is sufficient to insure it sympathetic attention.
Morocco, by reason of its geographical position and the peculiar distribution of its mountains and valleys, enjoys, according to Mr. Charles Rolleston, the varieties of climate between those of the north of Scotland and the plains of India. Its productions are also varied, and under a good administration would be valuable. With extortionate taxation and the insecurity of property industries languish. The sugar cane was introduced by the Arabs during the middle ages, but the profitable nature of the crop exposed the owners to oppression, and the former rich plantations have become things of the past. Most of the country is well adapted to horticulture, but the almost prohibitory export duties prevent a trade which might go far toward supplying the fruit markets of Europe with oranges, lemons, dates, peaches, plums, apricots, grapes, figs, pomegranates, mulberries, and olives. The empire is also rich in minerals and in agricultural products. With all these munificent resources Morocco has fallen into decadence, simply on account of the vice of its political administration, which does not fulfill a single function, duty, or responsibility of the government, but is generally mischievous.
The serpent symbol was described by the Rev. S. D. Peet, in a paper read in the American Association, as prevalent all over this continent. It appears in effigies in Canada, Ohio, Illinois, and Minnesota. Certain myths among the Iroquois and Algonkins represent the serpent as coming out of the water, fascinating men and turning them into serpents, and taking them below the water—thus reminding one of the temptation. While in these and other myths of those nations the serpent is the source of evil, in Nicaragua and Yucatan it is the source of good. It is in reality the symbol of the rain cloud, and the crops and the seasons are dependent on its appearance. Instead of antagonizing the chief divinity, it seems to be sailing through the air, bearing that being on its back, or holding vases in its folds that empty water or rain upon the fields. In Nicaragua the serpent appears in sculpture, highly wrought and carved with great force. The sacred books of the Mayas have many representations of serpents. Even the hieroglyphics of the Mayas have serpents upon them, forming parts of the glyph. Among the Pueblos the serpent figured in a very interesting way in the ceremonies of the initiation of the youth.
In his characterizing of the Arctic Seas, Mr. J. Scott Keltie says that to the north of Europe and Asia we have the scattered groups of islands—Spitzbergen, Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, and the New Siberian Islands. To the north of America we have an immense archipelago the actual extent of which is unknown. It may be that the islands of this archipelago are continued far to the north; if so, they would form convenient stages for the work of a well-equipped expedition. It may be that they do not go much farther than we find them on our maps. Whatever be the case, it is important to the interests of science that this section of the Polar Sea be examined; that as high a latitude as possible be attained; and that soundings be made to discover whether the deep ocean extends all round the pole.
An ocellated lizard which M. Charles Dreaux kept for thirteen years grew to be nearly eighteen inches long and to weigh almost half a pound. Having come from a mild region, it was supposed not to be in the habit of hibernating, and was kept during the first winter in a warm room. It suffered thereby from the violation of its customs, and, while it continued active, did not eat, and was reduced, when spring came, to a pitiful condition. Kept in a cool room in after winters, it was regularly dormant from the latter part of October till about the middle of March, or between four and five months. Its winter slumbers were not,
