SISYPHUS

In Ancient Mythology, one of the descendants of ^olus, respecting whom a variety of opinions prevails. By some he is said to have resided at Epyra in the Peloponnesus; others maintain that he was a Trojan prince, who was punished for betraying state secrets; while others allege that he was a notorious robber, slain by These us. Be this as it may, all the ancient poets are agreed that he was distinguished for his craftine and cunning; and that his punishment in Tartar us for his crimes committed on earth consisted in rolling a huge. stone to the top of a high hill, which constantly recoiled, and thus rendered his labour ince ant. The term Sisyphus is supposed to be derived from Gr. a-ttroifog (by a common duplication for a-oipoj, wise), and to signify overwise. SITTA. {Gr. (rtfTot,.) The name ofa bird in Aristotle, which Gesner determined to be the nuthatch. Linnaeus retains the term for the genus of which the nuthatch {Sitta Europcca, L.) is the type. [s. 1134]