June 20, 1913] 



SCIENCE 



941 



factor H is lacking. Therefore horny, sugar 

 and waxy endosperm should be represented in 

 the proportions, actually found, 9:4:3. 



To test for the presence or absence of the 

 factor H, here suggested, in sugar-corn a 

 cross should be made with homozygous waxy. 

 Three kinds should be found, the first 

 (nHiuwSS) yielding horny endosperm only, 

 the second (HhwtvSS) yielding 50 per cent, 

 horny and 50 per cent, waxy and the third 

 (hhwwSS) yielding waxy only. 



Henri Hus 



University of Michigan 



the yellowstone park 



To THE Editor of Science: In a letter re- 

 lating to Yellowstone Park which appeared 

 in the issue of Science for March 21, 1913, 

 there were some statements concerning the 

 experiences which tourists camping out in 

 the park (" sage-brushers," they are usually 

 called) have with the bears, wliich are cer- 

 tainly astonishing to those who can speak for 

 the sagebrushers if not for the bears. The 

 " cleaning out of sagebrushers' camps by 

 marauding bears " was spoken of as a 

 " nightly occurrence " and it was stated that 

 " three or four sagebrushers are killed nearly 

 every summer in attempting to drive bears 

 out of their camps." My experience as a 

 sagebrusher is that bears will indeed attack 

 the vulnerable part of the camp — the locker 

 containing the store of bacon and the lard 

 can — but even in the vicinity of the Canyon 

 of the Yellowstone, where bears are most nu- 

 merous, the repelling of an attack on the 

 larder took on much the nature of a midnight 

 sally to rout the neighbor's cow from one's 

 garden patch. There was the same spontane- 

 ous rallying against the invasion, the violent 

 laying about with whips and clubs, the resort 

 to loud and picturesque language, and the 

 same clumsy and precipitate retreat of the 

 culprit. Once only we thought it necessary 

 to resort to extreme measures which was to 

 play upon the invaders with a Roman candle. 

 This was completely effective. I would not 

 have a single person miss the great fun and 



superior advantage of camping out during 

 the tour of the park because of the fear of the 

 bears. 



A statement from Lieutenant Colonel L. 

 M. Brett, acting superintendent of the park, 

 under date of April 5, 1913, should certainly 

 reassure all who contemplate a camping trip. 

 I quote as follows: 



As a matter of fact, no tourist or other person 

 has ever been killed by a bear in the park, so far 

 as is known in this office. Our regulations pro- 

 hibit feeding or meddling with bears, but it is a 

 great temptation for every one to feed them and 

 make pets of them, and the regulations are some- 

 times violated. Otherwise, there would seldom be 

 any bad bears in the park. As it is, we have 

 instances where the bear becomes dangerous to 

 life and property, and it is necessary to dispose 

 of it. This is done by capture alive and shipment 

 by express to some city zoo, when there is a de- 

 mand for a bear, and in case there is no demand 

 for it, it is shot. A few instances are on record 

 where people have been attacked and injured by 

 bears. One of these was a tourist; the others were 

 employees of hotels, etc., in the park. In all cases 

 where the facts were known, the person injured 

 was more or less to blame for lis own misfortune. 

 Jesse L. Smith 



the metric system of weights and measures 

 To THE Editor of Science: I agree with all 

 that Professor A. H. Patterson says regarding 

 the greater simplicity and general desirabil- 

 ity of the metric system of weights and meas- 

 ures, but there is, perhaps, something that 

 may be profitably said concerning his refer- 

 ence to " those seliish interests which are 

 blocking the way of reform." 



Chief among these interests, perhaps, are 

 the machinery-making concerns of the coun- 

 try, and if Professor Patterson were respon- 

 sible for the conservation of the capital in- 

 vested in measuring tools, gauges, fijxtures, 

 etc., based upon the present system of meas- 

 urement, and if he believed that a change to 

 the metric system would make it necessary to 

 discard these tools and gauges, he would, I 

 fear, be strongly tempted to object to the in- 

 troduction of the metric system, notwith- 

 standing his perception of its superiority. 



