32 



Meanwhile guard it very carefully, and don't risk sending it away. 

 I feel it must be of great scientific value. 



With kindest regards and best wishes for the new year, 



Yours sincerely, 



J. L. B. Smith 



For the rest of that day I had enough worry for a lifetime. What 

 was that fish ? Had they saved anything of its insides ? The night 

 brought little rest. 



As soon as the exchange opened next morning I was at the 

 shop telephone, and spent an anxious three hours waiting for the 

 call. Eventually it came. Yes, my worst fears were realised, all 

 the insides had been thrown away and had gone off with the 

 municipal rubbish cart. Miss Latimer could feel the agony in my 

 voice ; but I had no blame for her, for there were so many queer 

 fish in our waters that no one but an expert could know if this 

 one was what I suspected (and my brain said, 'Is it?'). So I asked 

 her to find out at once where the municipal rubbish carts dumped 

 their loads, because it could probably be worked out where those 

 remains lay, and I had already decided in my mind that I might 

 be able to get a plane to take me from George to go and scratch 

 for them. I managed to telephone again next day. When I did so I 

 learnt that all rubbish collected by the municipal service of East 

 London was dumped out at sea. So that was that, and I could do 

 no more about those insides. They were gone beyond recall. This was 

 my first taste of the many frustrations Coelacanths were to bring. 



I recollect that I asked the Post Office how much that call 

 would be, and when I told the shopman and paid him, they were 

 plainly astounded that anyone should be prepared to pay out so 

 much for a telephone call about the insides of a fish. You may be 

 sure they had heard everything. 



My worries carried me along, my mind was in a chaotic state. 

 Was this a prehistoric relic ? If it was, the loss of the insides was a 

 first-class tragedy. First of all, of course, I had to make certain 

 what this thing was. It must not be forgotten that I was no expert 

 on fossil fishes, just that in odd times my deep interest had led 

 me to study what was known about them. My mind was busy all 

 that time trying to assign that sketch to some clear type. It 

 appeared to be something like a shark in its make-up, but so 

 were those early Crossopterygians. I had to take into account 



