Again. Inasmuch as the Jordan rises in the mountains, and is constantly fed by the melting snows of Hermon, some philosophical students have argued that the water must necessarily be very cold at all times. But a few facts are worth a cartload of theories. And, as a matter of fact, the water of the Jordan is not cold, except during the winter season; and even then the temperature is by no means low. I bathed in the Jordan repeatedly; once as late as the Fifteenth of December, and the water was even then of a delightful temperature for bathing. The river valley is so deeply depressed that scarcely a breath of air is felt during the hot season. On this point, Dr. Geikie says: “The heat of the Jordan plains is very great in summer, and oppressive even in spring; while in autumn it becomes very unhealthy for strangers. In May, the thermometer ranges from about 86 degrees in the early forenoon to over 100 degrees in the beginning of the afternoon, standing, even in the shade, at over 90 degrees.” The annual mean temperature of the lower Jordan valley is between 70 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. From the above facts, the reader will readily see that it is quite impossible for a stream flowing through this valley ever to reach a very low temperature. [Illustration: VIEW IN THE VALLEY OF THE JORDAN.] The stream is from seventy-five to three hundred feet wide, and probably has an average depth of six and a half feet, or more, even during the dry season. At some places, however, the depth is much greater than this. Here and there, islands, robed in garments of living green, and decked with flowers of every hue, float, fairy-like, upon the bosom of the river. The terraces along the river are frequently one mass of vegetation. The weeping-willow grows on the banks, and dips her flowing tresses in the sacred stream. As one follows the windings of the historic river, his way is continually cheered by the gushing sound of some crystal rivulet, by the beauty and fragrance of the flowers, by the sight and song of birds. The tangled vine, the matted cane, the thick-growing forest trees of considerable size, and a great variety of undergrowth, form a general rendezvous for wild animals, and a perfect paradise for birds. Hyenas, tigers, wild boars, and bears abound here, especially on the eastern side of the river. Here hawks, herons, pigeons, ducks, doves, and swallows build their nest and raise their young. Here also the bulbul and the nightingale sing their songs of praise. CHAPTER XXXV. THE DEAD SEA.