VARIETIES. 
369 
potassium  of  the  decomposed  portion  being  separated  and  removed  by  the 
water  used  for  washing  ;  while  the  cyanide  of  iron  is  converted,  by  com- 
bination with  the  cyanogen,  into  Prussian  blue,  and  by  oxidation  of  a  por- 
tion of  the  iron  into  basic  Prussian  blue.  The  amount  of  Prussian  blue  in 
the  blue  substance  is  about  10  per  cent, — London  Pharm.  Joam.,  from  Vier« 
teljdhr&chrift  fur  Prald.  Pharmacie,  iv.  515. 
Composition  of 'the  Yellow  Substance  obtained  in  the  Mohjbdic  Acid  test  for 
Phosphoric  Acid^ — Nutzinger  has  analyzed  this  substance,  and  finds  that, 
when  air  dried,  it  consists  of — 
I.                II.  Calculated. 
Water  1-875 
Ammonium  oxide    3407        3-481  5  3-557 
Phosphoric  acid      3-738        3-818  2  3-962 
Molybdicacicl       90-740       92-701  48  92-461 
99-760     100-000  100.000 
When  heated  at  212°  it  loses  water,  and  has  the  composition  II. 
The  chemical  constitution  of  this  substance  is  obscure,  and  will  probably 
be  rendered  intelligible  only  by  a  more  intimate  knowledge  of  the  com- 
pounds of  molybdic  acid  generally. — Ibid,  from  Ibid,  iv.  549. 
The  Kumis  and  Rahy  of  the  Tartars. — The  Calmucks  and  most  of  the 
shepherd  tribes  of  Central  Asia  prepare  from  the  milk  of  their  cattle  two 
kinds  of  beverage.  The  one  is  called  "  Kumis,"  and  is  sour  milk  which 
has  undergone  a  certain  degree  of  vinous  fermentation  ;  it  corresponds  with 
the  "  pinna  "  of  the  Laplanders,  which  is  made  with  reindeer  milk. 
The  other  beverage  is  an  intoxicating,  agreeably-flavored  liquid,  obtained 
from  "  Kumis  ;;  by  distillation.  The  Calmucks  make  the  distillation  in  a 
vessel  of  unburnt  clay,  a  piece  of  reed  serving  for  the  delivery  tube ;  the 
receiver  is  covered  with  wet  clay  so  as  to  condense  the  vapor.  The  distil- 
lation is  sometimes  effected  with  reeds  or  dried  herbs  for  fuel,  but  more 
generally  with  the  dung  of  cattle,  especially  the  dromedary,  previously 
dried  in  the  sun. 
Good  "  kumis  "  cannot  be  obtained  from  every  kind  of  milk.  That  made 
with  the  milk  of  cows  or  of  sheep  is  bad.  The  milk  of  camels,  and  of  mares 
particularly,  gives  three  times  as  large  a  product. 
The  "  kumis  "  is  prepared  by  mixing  six  parts  of  warm  milk  with  one  of 
warm  water,  and  some  old  "  kumis  "  as  a  ferment ;  then  fermenting  with 
frequent  agitation.  Artificial  temperature  and  agitation  appear  essential 
for  the  fermentation. 
The  spirit  obtained  from  "  kumis  "  by  distillation  is  called  "  rak,"  or 
"  raky."  This  word  is  evidently  derived  from  lt  arak,"  which  is  the  name 
given  by  the  Indians  to  their  spirituous  liquors. 
24 
