Linnæan Society of London. Several species of plants were named after him.
AFZELIUS, Arvid August (1785-1871). A Swedish poet and antiquary. He translated the Elder Edda (see Edda), and, with Geijer, edited a noteworthy collection of old Swedish popular songs (1814-17). He is esteemed for his poetical Romances and for his studies in Norse history and literature. He was pastor at Enköping, 1821-1871.
AGADES, ä′gȧ-dā̇s. An African city, the capital of the oasis kingdom of Air (q.v.), situated in lat. 16° 30′ N. and long. 8° E. (Map: Africa, E 3). It was formerly an important city and had a population estimated at 50,000. Although still on the caravan route between Sokoto and the Barbary States, its commercial importance has disappeared, and its population has dwindled to about 7000.
AGADIR, ä′gȧ-dēr′. A seaport of Morocco, North Africa, situated in lat. 30° 27′ N. and long. 9° 36′ W. (Map: Africa, D 1). It was founded in the beginning of the sixteenth century by the Portuguese, but was soon taken by Morocco, and for a considerable period was an important shipping centre. It is at present closed to commerce, and is used as a customs station on the caravan route connecting the northern and southern parts of Morocco. Its population is about 700.
A′GAG (Heb., Gk. Ἀγάγ, in the Septuagint). (1) The name, or possibly title, of a king of the Amalekites conquered by Saul, and preserved alive contrary to the command of Jehovah. He was afterward hewn in pieces by Samuel. See I. Samuel xv. (2) In Dryden's Absalom and Achitophel, a character standing for Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, the justice of the peace who was assassinated shortly after disclosing the revelations made for him by Titus Oates.
A′GAGITE. A name applied to Haman (Esther iii. 1, 10; viii. 3). It is a term of contempt, designating him as a worthy descendant of Agag, the Amalekite whom Samuel hewed to pieces as a sacrifice to Yahweh at Gilgal (I. Samuel xv. 33). This “Amalekite” is opposed to Mordecai, a descendant of Kish, the father of Saul (Esther ii. 5). The Greek translator understood that this was a mere fiction setting forth the struggle between Jew and Gentile, when he rendered the term “Macedonian.”
AGALACTIA, ăg′ȧ-lăk′tĭ-ȧ (Gk., want of milk, from ἀ, a, priv. + γάλα, gala, milk). A lack of the proper secretion of milk after delivery. It may depend either on organic imperfection of the mammary gland or upon constitutional causes. In the latter case the secretion may often be excited by warmth and moisture, by the stimulus of the act of sucking, and if this fails, by drinking plenty of fluids rich in fats and by drugs prescribed by a physician. (See Milk.) It is a contagious disease in sheep and goats, characterized by inflammatory foci in the mammary gland, eyes, and articulations. The disease has been known since 1816, and is especially frequent in Italy, France, and Spain. In the acute form there is high fever accompanied by complete, or almost complete, failure of milk. Death takes place after twenty days in about 15 per cent. of cases.
AG′ALMAT′OLITE. A hydrated aluminum and potassium silicate that occurs massive, and in color is gray, to green and yellow, brown and red. It is regarded as an alteration product of iolite, and is found in Transylvania, in Saxony, and especially in China, where, owing to its softness, it is carved into images and various ornamental designs, in which advantage is taken of the different shades to bring out special portions in different colors.
AG′AMA (Caribbean name). A genus of insectivorous ground-lizards allied to the iguanas, and confined to the warm climates of Africa, Australia, Asia, and southern Russia. The handsome armed agama, or toque (Agama armata) of South Africa is strikingly adorned and reaches twenty inches in length. Another very brilliant species is the spiny Agama colonorum of the Gold Coast. One of those of southeastern Europe best known is the stellio (Agama stellio), which is commonly tamed and kept in captivity by Arabic jugglers in Egypt, who call it hardun.
AG′AME′DES. See Trophonius.
AG′AMEM′NON (Gk. Ἀγαμέμνον). Son of Atreus, and brother of Menelaus. Agamemnon is a prominent figure in Greek heroic legend, and the details of his story differ. He ruled at Mycenæ and exercised lordship over much of the Peloponnesus. Therefore, when Paris carried off Helen, the wife of Menelaus, Agamemnon was the natural leader of the expedition against Troy. His quarrel with Achilles is the starting-point of the Iliad. Later writers told of the sacrifice of his daughter Iphigenia (q.v.) at Aulis to secure favorable winds for the voyage to Asia. In his share of the booty of Troy he received the prophetess Cassandra (q.v.), daughter of Priam. On his return he was murdered by his wife Clytemnestra (q.v.) and her paramour, Ægisthus (q.v.). His son, Orestes (q.v.), aided by his daughter Electra, subsequently avenged his father. This tragedy of the house of Atreus was a favorite subject of the Greek dramatists. Consult: The Oresteia, especially the first play, the trilogy of Æschylus called the Agamemnon.
AG′AMEN′TICUS, Mount. A hill in York Co., Maine, 4 miles from the sea, 673 feet high. It lies in lat. 43° 13′ 25″ N. and long. 70° 41′ 33″ W. (Map: Maine, B 9), and is a noted landmark for sailors.
AG′AMOGEN′ESIS. See Parthenogenesis, section Metagenesis.
AGAÑA, ȧ-gä′nyȧ, or San Ignacio de Agaña, sän ē̇g-nä′thē̇-ō̇ dā̇ ȧ-gä′nyȧ. The capital of Guam (q.v.), one of the Ladrones, belonging to the United States (Map: Guam, U. S. and Dep. Ter., B 3). It is situated on the western coast of the island on Agaña Bay. It has wide, clean streets, and is traversed by a shallow stream crossed by two stone bridges. The bay is unsafe and the landing is obstructed by reefs. The town contains an arsenal, barracks, and a college. During the Spanish régime in the Philippines it was the seat of government for the Ladrones. Pop., about 6400.
AG′ANIP′PE (Gk. Ἀγανίππη, Aganippē). A fountain in Bœotia, near Mount Helicon, which flows to the River Permessus. The water was sacred to the Muses, and gave poetic inspiration.
AG′APÆ (Gk. nom. pl. of ἀγάπη, agapē, love feast). Love-feasts, or feasts of charity.
