142 



SCIENCE. 



[Vol. VII., No. 158 



it is. The figure is of full size, but, until scrutinized, 

 appears smaller, being dwarfed by the magnitude 

 of the rock on which ic is depicted. . . . The 

 Indians look upon it as great or strong 'medicine.' 

 Beads and broken arrows are still to be found below 

 it and in the crevices near by. apparently placed 

 there as propitiatory offerings. Deep gashes in the 

 subjacent sandstone show where the savages have 

 for a long period sharpened their knives in its 

 presence, while rudely carved, not painted, figures 

 on the rocks are apparently the autographs or 

 totems of individuals or bands. The popular ex- 

 planation among the white settlers is, that it has been 

 painted by the Indians. This is inconceivable by those 

 having any intimate knowledge of them, from the 

 utter absence of artistic skill among the savages, as 

 shown bv the almost unintelligible hieroglyphics 

 near at hand, and from their want of familiarity 

 with paint as durable as this pigment. The fidelity 

 to nature of this figure is utterly beyond a.x\y ability 

 ever known to be exhibited by them. It has been 

 suggested that it was painted by the Spaniards, who 

 explored this region, and described this river as 

 Rio del Animas in what is now nearly a traditionary 

 period. But, if a conceivable motive could be sup- 

 plied, there are local reasons why no artist would 

 place a picture just where this is found. 



The surface on which it is depicted is slightly 

 irregular and roughened, while an absolutely smooth 

 one can be found a few feet above ; and, as the exist- 

 ing figure is so far from the ground as to require a 

 staging from which to be painted, the same staging 

 could easily have been carried up the small addi- 

 tional height required. There is no reason why the 

 figure should be slanting, in the absence of the acces- 

 sory of sloping ground. An artist who had the skill 

 to create this could have made a much more effective 

 picture by giving it a somewhat different posture, or 

 by adding a figure or two. A deep yellow stain or 

 vein in the stone runs longitudinally through the 

 figure, marring it as a work of art. This would have 

 been avoided by placing it a little higher up, or it 

 might have been obscured by the use of more color 

 directlv upon it. A small portion of the rock, where 

 the color is deepest, was removed some time ago ; 

 and, having been carefully ground to powder, it was 

 burned without the smell or any sensible sign of paint 

 being elicited. 



To the mind of the w r riter it is clear that the object 

 is not artificial ; but these details are mentioned that 

 those who have no opportunity for personal inspec- 

 tion may have some basis of judgment. If this 

 reasoning is correct, of course the figure has been 

 placed there by some natural cause, and the most 

 probable seems to be lightning. ... It would 

 appear that a bear had taken shelter under the some- 

 what overhanging ledge, or had simply stopped near 

 by at the time, and, while startled at the close display 

 of lightning, was by that agency depicted upon the 

 solid wall. If not, what is the explanation ? At 

 places where the rock has scaled, the color shows to 

 the depth of one-sixteenth to one-eighth of an inch, 

 according to the closeness of its texture. White 

 barbarians are already destroying this natural curi- 

 osity. It affords a tempting mark to passing ranch- 

 men, and it is fast being destroyed by their well- 

 aimed shots. Others, in sympathy with that vandal 

 ism that befouls the fairest monuments of civilization, 

 chip off convenient projections, and pencil their little 

 names on the fresher rock beneath. What the 



superstition of the red savage has preserved, the 

 irrational iconoclasm of his white brother destroys. 

 The writer, since preparing this paper, has been told 

 that a scientific party visited the Bear Rock in 1867, 

 and attributed the picture to electricity. 



The light spots in the reduced print from Captain 

 Anderson's photograph show the scaling due to 

 violence. The original picture, of which I have a 

 copy, shows many bullet-marks not reproduced in the 

 reduction. The outline of the upper part of the neck 

 in the reduction does not closely follow the curve of 

 the original, and the comparative coloring of the 

 fore quarters is too intense. It is said that there is a 

 somewhat similar picture of another animal about 

 fifty miles farther up the Purgatoire ; but this I have 

 not seen, nor have had definitely described. 



I am not prepared to defend the suggestion of 

 electrical agency made above, and I believe scientific 

 opinion would not accept it. But a careful study of 

 the object in situ, on more than one occasion, con- 

 vinces me that it is not the result of human agency, 

 and it certainly is the accurate outline of a bear. 



Davids' Island, N.Y., Jan. 30. 



Alfred A. Woodhull. 



A scientific corps for the army and navy. 



In the army, as well as in the navy, we have sev- 

 eral corps or departments which have a greater or 

 less claim to being called scientific. Since the earli- 

 est days in the history of our army and navy, we 

 have also had men of the highest scientific attain- 

 ments appear in the line of these two organizations. 

 But the question may be asked now, Is not the time 

 approaching when we should have, strictly speaking, 

 a scientific corps for these two institutions of the 

 public service ? Their past history goes to show 

 that every twenty or twenty-five years, either one. 

 produces a limited number of men, who, through 

 their writings and influence, compel us to recognize 

 them as scientific leaders in certain lines of research, 

 and among the ablest of those concerned in the 

 progress of learning and the advancement of knowl- 

 edge. 



It is not the object of this letter, nor will the space 

 admit of ic. to refer, either by name or deed, to any 

 of these persons. A moment's reflection on the part 

 of any scientific man will recall to his mind whom 

 they are, both the living and the dead, many of the 

 works of either are imperishable. Our country does 

 not stand alone in this matter, for we find the same 

 applies to the military organizations of other na- 

 tions. With ourselves, however, it seems to me that 

 without any particular legislative violence, much 

 might be accomplished whereby the country would 

 derive a greater amount of benefit from such men, 

 and the national credit for wise and sound legislation 

 be considerably augmented. 



The formation of a scientific corps, open to the 

 recognized scientists of either army or navy, would 

 remove many of the present existing disabilities that 

 these persons have now to contend against. Then 

 should the scientific bureaus of the government ever 

 be grouped as a department of science, the way will 

 be properly opened for the work of these men, and 

 they will naturally gravitate to their proper spheres 

 of action, without conflicting with laws that can 

 easily be construed to send them elsewhere. 



To better show the wisdom of the step proposed, 

 and the reasons why science should recommend it for 



