542 
NATURE 
[Apri 8, 1897 
he has learned about the Ays-Azyzks for the use of future ex- 
plorers. The information runs as follows :—‘‘ The size of these 
men is not smaller than the habitual man’s size. Their body is 
all covered with ashort hair of the same colour as in the young 
camel, black hair falling on the shoulders, and dark eyes; body 
short and thin, legs relatively long. The Ayz-hzyzk feeds on 
roots of plants growing along the streamlets in the sands; 
moves about in pairs; looks severe, harsh ; emits sounds when 
he is dissatisfied with something, or asa calling signal. When 
he is pursued, he shouts loudly, and in his shout one hears a 
whistling sound. The wild man runs very swiftly and walks 
rapidly, setting his feet wide apart. The Kirghizes whom I 
spoke to said they had taken Ays-Azyzks alive. The Kirghizes 
kept them for two or three daysin their tents, and tried to feed 
them with meat and cakes, but they ate nothing ; when forced 
to eat, crossed their hands on the breast, and twinkled with the 
eyes. They could not bear a steady look, turned the head aside, 
and on their own will made their hair stand on end. When 
they were set free, they took at once to the sands, and were 
joined each time by a comrade, who concealed himself, in the 
meantime, somewhere in the neighbourhood.”” The Kirghizes 
added that it would not be difficult to catch one of them in the 
winter, but not in summer, as they never have been seen in 
summer, probably because they conceal themselves in some 
inaccessible place. 
THE opinion that distinct toxins require distinct anti-toxins 
would appear to require some modification. Dr. Calmette has 
shown that anti-venomous serum protects against scorpion 
poison; Roux and Calmette have shown that rabbits vaccinated 
against rabies, acquire remarkable powers of resisting the action 
of cobra venom. Again, animals vaccinated against tetanus 
and anthrax respectively, not only elaborate anti-tetanic and 
anti-anthrax serum, but such serums have also been found to be 
in some cases capable of counteracting the effects of cobra 
venom. Calmette has also shown that anti-diphtheria, anti- 
tetanus, anti-anthrax, and anti-cholera serums possess decided 
immunising powers with regard to the vegetable toxin of abrine. 
Dr. Memmo, working in the Hygienic Institute of the Uni- 
versity of Rome, has observed that a distinct, although slight, 
curative action is produced by anti-diphtheria serum in cases of 
tetanus. Some extremely interesting investigations by Dr, 
Marriotti-Bianchi, dealing with the action of normal serums from 
various sources on different bacterial toxins, also tend to confirm 
the above observations. Bianchi has also been able to re- 
produce all the phenomena, claimed by Pfeiffer, to be specific 
in respect to the behaviour of cholera vibrios in anti-cholera 
serum, by placing these vibrios in normal serum derived from 
dogs and cats respectively. It would appear that not only may 
various anti-toxins modify one and the same toxin, but normal 
serums may also produce in some cases protection against toxins. 
This latter point has been specially dwelt upon by Bianchi in 
his memoir. 
A PAPER by Mr. Walcot Gibson, published in the Zyans- 
actzons of the Federated Institute ot Mining Engineers, will 
prove useful to all who wish to obtain a clear general notion of 
the geological structure of the continent of Africa. Written 
primarily from an economic point of view, a large portion of the 
paper is naturally devoted to South Africa, for which territory 
the author pleads the urgent necessity of a thorough geological 
survey. For the same reason, all beds later than the Karoo 
receive rather summary treatment, which the pure geologist will 
regret. The accompanying map, on the scale of about 400 miles 
to the inch, is very valuable : on it the author has indicated his 
views on the general correlation of beds throughout the continent. 
The frequent blanks and queries show how much has yet to be 
learned of the structure of Africa ; but the continual discovery 
NO. 1432, VOL. 55] 
of new facts tends to rapidly throw a map out of date. Ever 
since the preparation of this map, two important additions to- 
our knowledge of African geology have been recorded in the 
Geological Magazine. Dr. Gregory has recorded (from the 
specimens collected by the Lort-Phillips expedition) the occur- 
rence of Lower Jurassic (Bathonian) rocks, with an Indian fauna, 
in Somali-land, and has pointed out the bearing of this on the 
important question of the ancient union of India and Africa. 
More recently Mr. Draper has found nummulitic limestone on 
the coast of Gaza-land, and Mr. R. B. Newton, who has. 
identified the nummulites, also records the presence of Upper 
Cretaceous fossils in the same area. 
In Das Wetter for February, Dr. W. Meinhardus, of Potsdam, 
discusses the possibility of predicting the general character of the 
weather for some time in advance, based upon the researches of 
Prof. O. Pettersson, of Stockholm, as to certain relations found 
to exist between hydrographical and meteorological phenomena. 
One of the questions dealt with by Prof. Pettersson, is whether 
the Gulf Stream, or its northern extension, brings the same 
amount of warmth yearly, or whether variations occur from year 
to year, and whether any connection exists between its variations 
and climatic conditions. With this object, he plotted the monthly 
means of air and sea temperatures for Norwegian stations for twenty 
years, and found the interesting result that the sea-surface tem- 
perature curves for the months December to April, and July to Sep- 
tember, exhibit a similar course. A break in the continuity occurs. 
in October and November, and again in May and June, which 
points toa decided change in the ocean currents at those seasons. 
The same characteristic is found to exist in the air-temperature 
in the inland parts of Sweden. From this correspondence of the 
air with the sea-temperature, and the continuity of the latter 
through whole groups of months, he concludes that it may be 
possible to foretell the general character of the weather for a 
long period in advance. If, for instance, certain conditions are 
found to exist in the sea-surface temperatures in December, an 
opinion may be formed of the coming winter and spring. Of 
course such predictions are quite distinct from those relating to 
current weather changes, which at present cannot be foretold for 
more than a day or soinadvance. Dr. Meinhardus has extended 
this inquiry so as to include various stations in Germany, and 
has plotted the temperature means for thirty-five years. The 
results confirm those obtained by Prof. Pettersson in a very 
satisfactory manner. The probability of similar temperature 
changes in November and December at Christiansund, and in 
Hamburg, in the following quarter of the year, amounted to 85 
per cent., while at inland stations a somewhat less, but still high 
percentage obtained. 
THE address to the South London Entomological and Natural 
Ilistory Society, referred to in last week’s NATURE (p. 515), was 
delivered by Mr. Richard South, the retiring president of the 
Society. 
AN instructive paper on the geology of the Alps, recently. 
read by Prof. T. G. Bonney before the Geologists’ Association, 
appears in the March number of the Association’s Proceedings. 
The title of the paper is ‘‘An Outline of the Petrology and 
Physical History of the Alps.” 
THE first number of a new journal, the Zedtschrift fir 
Criminal-Anthropologie, has just appeared. The contents in- 
clude articles on Lombroso and criminal anthropology of to-day, 
crime and mind disease, the handwriting of criminals, and a 
report on the proceedings of the fourth international congress of 
criminal anthropology, held last August at Geneva. There are 
also notes on current literature, and reviews of books which 
come within the scope of the journal. The general editor is 
Dr. Walter Wenge, and the publisher is A. Priber, Berlin. 
