2l6 



at the Comores, but when they returned to East Africa early in 

 November 1953 it was with the startling news that they had 

 succeeded in photographing a live Coelacanth under the water, 

 and at the Comores themselves. 



On the 9th November 1953 the following statement, emanating 

 from Dar-es- Salaam, appeared in the press of the world: 



Only French scientists will be allowed to search for the Coelacanth 

 off the French Comoro Islands, in the Indian Ocean between 

 Mozambique and Madagascar, for the rest of this year. 



French authorities there have declared a complete ban until 

 December 31 on expeditions by foreign scientists — two days after 

 an Italian zoological expedition secured the first photographs ever 

 taken of a living Coelacanth. 



Another report of the loth November 1953 emanating from 

 Dar-es- Salaam, stated further: 



An Italian expedition which has been working at the Comoro 

 Islands is convinced that there are many Coelacanths there. . . . 



This expedition was compelled to suspend its operations* be- 

 cause the French authorities placed a ban on further search for 

 Coelacanths until the end of this year. 



On my 1954 expedition to the Seychelles I made a long voyage 

 in the same vessel that the Italians had employed. The owner 

 confirmed that they had indeed worked in Comoran waters after 

 the French ban of August 1953, and he told me that the Italians 

 had handed over to the French authorities part of the collections 

 made, which had been a condition of their being permitted to 

 work there. 



* In November 1953, at the Comores. 



