LIFE OF ELIE METCHNIKOFF 85 



even planned to go with him to Thibet, where no 

 stranger can penetrate without the help of an adept. 

 This plan, however, was never executed. 



After he had collected numerous anthropological 

 data, Metchnikoff went again to the Astrakhan steppes 

 in order to verify and to complete his observations 

 of the preceding year. Whilst traversing some oases 

 where the Russians were making experiments in 

 artificial forestry, he had the pleasant surprise of 

 finding some Myriapoda (Geophilus) bearing a number 

 of eggs. The history of the development of those 

 creatures was still unknown a notable lacuna in 

 embryology. Delighted at the idea of filling it, 

 Metchnikoff did not hesitate to undertake a long and 

 difficult extra journey and repaired to Astrakhan, 

 taking with him his precious material, in order to 

 fetch the necessary apparatus for his researches. 

 But during the long journey several eggs perished and 

 he had to return to the oasis with a borrowed micro- 

 scope to study other eggs on the spot. In spite of 

 very difficult conditions and of the persistent weak- 

 ness of his eyesight, he succeeded in filling the lacuna 

 in the embryology of the Geophilus. 



He had at the same time collected very interesting 

 anthropological data. His hypothesis as to the neces- 

 sity of applying to anthropology the comparative 

 methods of embryology was fully justified, for, thanks 

 to that process, he was able to establish a definite 

 correlation between the Mongol race and the adoles- 

 cence of the Caucasian race. He presented a report 

 on the subject to the Anthropological Society of 

 Moscow, but, his attention being afterwards turned in 

 other directions, he never came back to this subject. 



