38 



various details in answer to my queries. The more I heard the more 

 certainly did it all point to a Coelacanth, but even so, my mind 

 would not really accept this ; it was too fantastic, it just could not 

 be. Nevertheless, when it was all assembled, the factual evidence 

 appeared overwhelming. On the 17th January 1939 I wrote again 

 to Barnard, telling him briefly but frankly this time that I believed 

 the animal to be a Coelacanth. His reply of the 19th January 

 indicated that he was now really startled and no longer facetiously 

 incredulous. I wrote again about the 24th January, giving more 

 information, and this time, convinced, he was apparently so over- 

 come by the almost unbelievable nature of the whole affair that he 

 disclosed it in confidence to the Director of the Museum, Dr. E.L. 

 Gill, who had at one time worked on fossil fishes and therefore 

 naturally had an exceptional interest in this. 



This was indeed all that transpired between myself and the 

 authorities of the South African Museum. Not long after the 

 discovery had been featured in the press, a report was published 

 stating that I had been in consultation with the authorities of the 

 South African Mu eum all along over the matter of the Coelacanth. 

 As I had nowhere acknowledged any such assistance, this naturally 

 implied a reprehensible omission on my part. This implication 

 shocked me, for I have always been most punctilious about 

 giving the fullest acknowledgment of any type of assistance 

 received. In this case there had indeed been an almost exceptional 

 degree of isolation. I had deliberately chosen to carry the terrible 

 responsibility myself, making it indeed very much my own funeral. 

 I could see no clear way of rectifying this in a public fashion in 

 any satisfactory manner, so just let it go, but it remains in print 

 and may one day rear its head. 



All along I had been frantic to see a photograph of the fish, 

 but none came. For some curious reason something always went 

 wrong with the attempts. Below are quoted several relevant letters: 



Knysna. 

 24th January jgjg 

 Dear Miss Latimer, 



I have been waiting to hear from you again about that specimen. 

 I should very much like to see a photograph as soon as you can 

 send one. I doubt whether I can get over till near the end of the 

 month, now that the fish is stuffed it does not matter very much. 



