178 
tive function with the same result. 
These are weaknesses which might be 
overcome to a large extent (1) by 
making the test period the same as the 
gestation period, (2) by establishing a 
herd ideal in breeding rather than an 
individual cow ideal, 7.e., by breeding 
for a ‘‘500-pound or 600-pound equiva- 
lent’? herd rather than a 1200-pound 
cow. By stating records of young 
cows in terms of mature cow equivalents, 
a uniform herd standard can be estab- 
lished without the necessity for so much 
retesting which probably often obscures 
the real value of a cow as a breeding 
The Journal of Heredity 
animal by involving the element of 
training in production. 
CONCLUSIONS 
By way of summarization it may be 
said: 
(1) Marked prepotency is limited to 
a comparatively few animals; 
(2) Strongly prepotent sires usually 
belong to prepotent families or strains; 
(3) Prepotency is probably enhanced 
by inbreeding; 
(4) Prepotency may become a valu- 
able aid to intelligent selection in 
breeding for greater production. 
Heredity and Juvenile Delinquency 
The view of Dr. William Healy, 
director of the Juvenile Psychopathic 
Institute of Chicago, that heredity is 
only a minor factor in juvenile delin- 
quency, is not shared by Dr. W. J. 
Hickson of the psychopathic laboratory 
of the municipal court in Chicago. Ina 
recent interview, Dr. Hickson said: 
‘After all these opportunities of learning 
and checking up, and the efforts of men 
of science to spread the informaticn, we 
still see many people who would solve 
the delinquent boy problem by trying 
to ‘change the leopard’s spots’ by envir- 
onmental means. 
“Tf the boy is normal, environment 
has little or no influence on him. 
“Thanks to the laws of heredity, 
some of our greatest men have attained 
eminence despite the slums in which 
they were born and raised. 
“The normal boy will take care of 
himself in any environment. That 
playgrounds, social centers and the like 
are good for him, no one will deny. 
That they are essential is not true, 
because normality means adaptability. 
“These social agencies do not reach 
the defective, and cannot.” 
Dr. Hickson concludes that most 
juvenile delinquency is due to mental 
defect, the greatest cause of which is 
heredity. A campaign for ‘negative 
eugenics’’ would therefore be desirable. 
Sale of Canadian Cattalos 
The Canadian government has pur- 
chased twenty cattalos (hybrids be- 
tween the American bison and domestic 
cow) from the estate of the late Mossom 
M. Boyd, of Bobcaygeon, Ontario, 
whose breeding experiment was de- 
scribed in the JoURNAL OF HEREDITY 
for May, 1915. Sixteen cows and four 
bulls made up the herd purchased, 
which was sent to Scott, Sask. The 
Boyd estate retained thirteen, three of 
which have been killed. The remain- 
ing ten will be bred in a continuation of 
the experiment, which aims to transfer 
to the domestic (Polled Angus) cattle 
the valuable hump and fur of the 
buffalo. The government herd will be 
bred along similar lines. 
