The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-26

State Fish Commissioner H. F. Emeric
is doing more for the cause of science than
is comprehended in the scope of his official
duties. When he is not solving the prob
lem of difference between California sar-
dimes and Puget Sound anchovies, or
between horse mackerel and steelhead
mackerel, or studying whether or not our
Chinook salmon industry can be said to
vie in importance with our product of
oysters, whales and shrimps, he is devot-
ing himself to the consideration of a new
phase OF the evolution theory. While
Professor David Starr Jordan is monkey
ing with the idea of the missing link Mr..
Emeric is demonstrating the pugilistic
instincts of bruIn, and is confident that he
is on hitherto untrodden trail of scientific
discovery.
Everybody remembers the story of
Romuius, who "sprang from the war gods
Ioins" and "tugged at the she VOLTS
breast" In one of Macaulay's famous
Lays of Rome" the singer thus addresses
Romulus:
The ravening she wolf knew thee,
Id from her ample store,
She gave thee Of her fierce milk,
Rich with raw flesh and gore
Now the savage instincts which rendered
more dreadful the warlike nature of Romu-
lus were derived from his foster mother,
the wolf.
new question that has arisen is, "Why
may not the pugilistic propensity be a
suppoSable derivation from q similar in
fusion of bears blood into one of the very
early descendants of Noah?"
OF course, by this time, the propensity
would be pretty generally distributed over
the world, Just as war savagery is not con-
fined TO the limitations of any country or
people to-day. This idea concerning
result OF line of reasoning as plausible
as that followed by the Roman chronicers
In their story of the origin of the Eternal
City. Mr.. Emeric has discovered, for in
stance, that the bear is q natural pugilIst
and wrestler. Bruin can strike a blow of
sufficient power 10 put Peter Maher to
sleep in an intinitesimal second of time;
and, with only moderate effort. bruins
embrace would crush into shapelessness
the body of The hardest wrestler Mr.
Emeric's practical demonstrations in this
line have been made in the course of some
experiments at his San Pablo ranch But
q few words Of explanation are here neces-
sary.
Some years ago an Oregon friend of the
Commissioner shipped him down a pres
ent in the shape of a bear-cub 1t was
taken to San Pablo, and there in time be-
came pet. l. maze trlendS with every
creature on the ranch and became the
almost inseparable companion of big
Newfoundland dog there. Indeed, the
bear and the dog take frequent runs o .er
the fields together. On one of these trips
1t Is related. the bear felt more risky than
usual and suddenly turning from the path
climbed speedily up into a tree, expecting
the dog TO follow The dog never stopped
until he reached his kennel. Soon the
bear found himself alone. After locking
about in VAIN for his companion he set up
a dismal howl and this was continued
until bruin, arriving home, caught sight
of the Newfoundland, when he jumped
for JOY to find his friend safe and sound.
The bear divides his rations with this dog
and is perfectly unselfish in his treatment
OF his canine partner. But this is too
much of depression.
So familiar did the bear eventually be-
come with his owner that he would spring
up and show an inclination TO embrace