600 JEREMIAH JEREZ DE LA FRONTERA their burrows ; their flesh is eaten by the Egyp- tians, and tlieir soft and shining fur is valued by them. The food of the jerboas is exclusively vegetable, and they are said never to drink. The largest species is the aeirtetes jaculus (Wagn.), about 9 in. long, found in the steppes j between the Donetz and the Don and in the Crimea ; this is the alalc-daagJia of the Mon- gols. The fur is soft, yellowish fawn varied with grayish brown above; the under parts, interior of limbs, end of nose, and crescent on the nates are white. The general appearance and habits are as in the common species ; they become lethargic both under slight cold and great heat ; the food consists of succulent plants, roots, fruits, insects, and, it is said, of small birds and of each other; they dig very rapidly into the earth, and live in burrows with many openings ; their swiftness is such that it is difficult to overtake them even on horse- back ; their flesh is also esteemed as food. To this family also belong other jumping rodents, often called jerboas. Among them is the jumping hare of South Africa (pedetes Oafer, Illig.), with molars Jc without roots, long ears, five toes on the fore feet and four on the hind, with long claws ; the posterior limbs and tail are long, the latter tufted. It moves by great leaps, and sleeps by day ; it is as large as a rabbit, of a fawn color, with the end of the tail black. In North America is the jumping mouse (jaculus Hudsoniits, Zimm.), about 10 in. long, of which the tail is more than half ; the color is red-brown, darker on the back, the sides and under parts white. It is found as far north as the Great Slave lake. The mo- lars are $~J ; the hand has four fingers with a rudimentary thumb, hind feet five-toed, hind legs and tail very long, the latter thinly haired ; upper incisors grooved longitudinally in front. For full details on this genus, see vol. viii. of the reports of the Pacific railroad survey. JEREMIAH, the second of the great Hebrew prophets, son of Hilkiah, one of the priests of Anathoth, prophesied under the reigns of Josiah, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah, and after the conquest of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, from about 627 to 575 B. 0. He was but a youth when he began his prophetic career in his native city. The per- secutions of his townsmen drove him to Jeru- salem, where, in spite of opposition and impris- onment, he remained true to his mission, keep- ing firmly in view the religious and political rectitude of the state. After the death of Jo- siah he was assailed by priests and prophets, and was cast into prison, where he wrote some of his predictions, which were read to the peo- ple by Baruch, but burned by King Jehoiakim. After the capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchad- nezzar he was spared by the conqueror, in con- sideration of his having advocated submission to Babylon, and he went first to Mizpah, and afterward to Egypt. There are various tradi- tions concerning his last years and his death. A grotto is still pointed out at Jerusalem where he is said to have composed his Lamentations, and his grave is shown at Cairo. His extant writings embrace the book containing his pro- phecies, and, according to general belief, the metrical book of Lamentations. While the canonicity of the book of Jeremiah in general is not doubted by any, the genuineness of some portions have of late been disputed by Movers, Ewald, Hitzig, and others. An elegy on the death of King Josiah, ascribed to him, is lost. Among the more recent commentators on Jere- miah are Hitzig (Leipsic, 1841), Umbreit (Hei- delberg, 1843), Neumann (Leipsic, 1856), Graf (1862), and Cowles (New York, 1869). There are English translations and commentaries by Blayney (Oxford, 1784; new ed., Edinburgh, 1810), by Noyes (Boston, 1837), and by Hen- derson (London, 1851 ; revised, 1868). JEREZ (or Xerez) DE LA FRONTERA (anc. Asia Segia), a town of Andalusia, Spain, in the province and 13 m. N. E. of the city of Cadiz, 8 in. from the right bank of the Guadalete; pop. about 50,000. Situated in one of the most fertile plains of the peninsula, it com- prises two distinct divisions, the old and the new town. The streets in the latter are spa- cious, regular, clean, and well paved and light- ed. There are three fine squares. The houses are well built, are generally white, and have tasteful courtyards. The cathedral, completed in 1695, though lofty and spacious, is heavy and devoid of taste ; it has a library and a curious numismatical collection. Of the 11 parish churches, only those of San Dionisio, San Miguel, and Santiago are noteworthy ; in them the Gothic style prevails, and among the rich decorations of the interiors are numerous paintings, statues, and bassi rilievi. There are seven convents, and a larger number of monas- teries. Of the five hospitals, one is for found- lings; and there are besides a female orphan asylum, a college, and several free schools. But the most remarkable of the public buildings is the old Moorish castle (Alcazar), contiguous to the Alameda, and surrounded by turreted walls, one of the best specimens of a palatial fortress in Spain. Jerez derives its celebrity from its wines, which are by far the best in the coun- try, and consist of the aromatic pajorete and the far-famed sherry, a name Anglicized from that of the town. Many of the cellars are capable of containing 14,000 butts. (See SPAIN, WINKS OF.) Some olive oil is made, and there are a few woollen factories, soap-boiling estab- lishments, and tanneries. The town has rail- way communication with Cadiz and Seville. The export trade, mainly consisting in wines, is chiefly carried on through the port of Santa Maria, 7 m. S. W. Near the walls of Jerez, which are still standing though much dilapida- ted, Roderic, the last king of the Visigoths in Spain, was defeated by the Moors, shortly af- ter their landing in 711, in a battle which is said to have lasted a week. Alfonso the Wise recovered the town from the Moors about the middle of the 13th century.
