668 
©Mr. A. F.’R. Wottaston on January 26 described 
before the Royal Geographical Society his journey in 
Dutch New Guinea in 1912. His principal object was 
to ascend to the snowy ridge of Mount Carstensz, and 
to see what lies beyond (which is unknown); in this 
he only just failed of success, A canoe accident (not 
the first of its kind on a New Guinea river) deprived 
him on his return journey of valuable records and 
effects. In spite of these misfortunes he has brought 
back much valuable information concerning the 
physical geography and biology of the 
traversed (the Utakwa valley), and also its inhabi- 
tants.. These last he divides into the coast people 
and the mountain people, who live at elevations from 
4000 to 6000 ft. or more. He also encountered a third 
class, of wanderers believed to come from the west. 
The appearance and habits of the mountain people, and 
their struggle for existence, were yiyidly described. 
Mr. Wollaston was accompanied by. Mr. C, Boden 
Kloss, of the Kwala Lumpor Museum, who undertook 
the zoological and botanical work; he also acknow- 
ledged much practical assistance from the Dutch 
authorities. As regards the physical features of the 
country, he commented (among much else of interest) 
on the remarkably complex structure of the foothills, 
and traced the diminution in the. thickness of the 
jungle undergrowth at about 7ooo ft. of altitude, the 
change from the lower forest trees to pandanus and 
casuarina at 8000 ft., and. the disappearance of trees 
above 10,500 ft. His progress was stopped by pre- 
cipitous rocks and an ice-wall at 14,866 ft., not 
500 ft. below the summit-ridge. 
Tue issue of The National Geographic Magazine 
for January is wholly devoted to a finely illustrated 
article by Mr. F. E. Johnson, entitled ‘‘Here and 
There in Northern Africa.” It contains a splendid 
series of photographs depicting the racial types, par- 
ticularly those of the Ouled Nail dancing girls, 
whose performances are familiar to visitors to Biskra. 
The pictures of life in the harem and in the oases 
are very striking, while those of the moving sand- 
dunes with waves like those of the sea produced by 
wind action are of special interest. 
Pror. Dati’ Osso, of Ancona, announces an im- 
portant archeological discovery in the-shape of a 
burial-place of the Stone Age in the Valle Vibrata, 
in the Abruzzi. The bodies were not buried, but laid 
in small huts containing from two to eight each, 
arranged on low platforms sloping towards the centre. 
With a single exception the bodies all rest on one 
side, with the knees drawn up, a position not unlike 
that of the crouching pre-dynastic Egyptian, in Case A 
of the first Egyptian room in the British Museum. 
The articles found with the remains, especially the 
vases and other utensils, indicate a higher degree of 
civilisation than has been observed in other instru- 
ments of the Neolithic age. 
FURTHER accounts of the excavations conducted by 
the British Museum on the site of Carchemish indi- 
cate that the results are more important than was 
anticipated. The excavation of the Acropolis has been 
to some extent disappointing, because much was 
NO. 2311, VOL. 92] 
NATURE. 
country © 
[| FEBRUARY 12, I914/ 
destroyed by Roman work in the second century. But. 
a large building recently unearthed shows a continuous 
series of reliefs cut in slabs Of white limestone and 
black diorite alternatively. We have processions of: — 
the king, his family, and attendants. These slabs, ~ 
which technically contrast with Mesopotamian work ~ 
in height of relief and broad simplicity of treatment, © 
deserve comparison with the best Assyrian sculptures. 
Much more can be done if funds are forthcoming, 
and it may be hoped that immediate measures will 
be taken to complete these excavations, which promise 
to throw welcome light on the little-known Hittite 
culture. . 
Dr. Mitrarp’s Chadwick Lectures on the subject of 
“The Vaccination Question in the Light of Modern 
Experience,” are well worth careful reading. We 
dislike the phrase, ‘“‘The Vaccination Question,” for 
it conveys to many minds a vague notion that vaccina- 
tion does not protect against smallpox. The only 
vaccination question is, whether ‘‘the Leicester 
method’’ can so ensure a community against small- 
pox that the community can wisely disregard the use 
of infantile vaccination. In forty years, Leicester has 
had only forty-six deaths from smallpox; that is very 
few. Doubtless, if these forty-six persons had been 
well vaccinated just before they were exposed to the 
disease, the number of deaths would have been not 
forty-six, but none. Dr. Millard rightly says that “in 
the rather remote contingency of a really serious 
epidemic of smallpox occurring again in Leicester, or 
in any town, he would advise everyone to get vac- 
cinated, even though they had already been once 
vaccinated.”” But the phrase, ‘‘a really serious 
epidemic,” implies a good deal of disease among those-_ 
who have not got vaccinated. Doubtless, Leicester, 
with its magnificent sanitary service, and its not un- 
natural pride over its own health, and a cordon of 
less unvaccinated towns round it, is what one calls 
“fairly safe’’; but contingencies, even remote con- 
tingencies, do sometimes take form in fact. We have — 
to reckon with ‘‘unrecognised cases, especially when 
occurring in the tramp class,’’ and with a host of our 
individual civic and domestic responsibilities, and with 
the bare possibility that the remnants of smallpox in 
this country may of themselves increase in strength. 
VoL. vu. of the Boletim de Museu Goeldi (Museu 
Paraense), which relates to the years 1909-10, 
although only published in 1913, contains a narrative, — 
illustrated by photographs of natives and scenery, of a 
journey from Xingu to Tapajoz, undertaken by Dr. — 
E. Snethlage, as well as a report on scientific ex- 
plorations in Para by Mr, A. Dueke. 
In an article published in The Egyptian Mail of 
January 15 it is stated that, among other additions, 
the Giza Gardens have acquired a second specimen of — 
the white-eared kob (Cobus cob leucotis) from the 
swamps of the White Nile. These two are believed 
to be the only examples of this antelope brought alive — 
from the Sudan, the first having been received _ 
nearly two years ago. It is also mentioned that Mr. — 
J. L. Bonhote, who joined the staff of the gardens 
some time ago, is at present rearranging the museum, 
