221 



I shall always remember the sensation of terrific relief this gave 

 me, as if a crushing burden had been lifted from my mind. So it 

 was the right spot, they were there ! I could see the end of this 

 great strain, I could keep my Malaniuy and it would be only a 

 matter of time now before all those high specialists were each and 

 all wresting the secrets of the life of the long ages past from the 

 tissues and structures of fresh Coelacanths. I could see in the 

 near future long queues of eager sightseers filing past a tank where 

 a living Coelacanth stared scornfully at his equally 'degenerate'* 

 near descendants. 



Two in the same place. It must be their home, so that my 

 enduring aim had been achieved, and most of my burden would 

 now fall on the French. Their exclusion of myself from their waters 

 was based on mistaken ideas, for in doing so they had tried to keep me 

 away from something I had never wanted for myself but for science. 



As soon as we could get to a Post Ofiice, I sent Millot a cable 

 conveying my warmest congratulations. 



Now that one home of the Coelacanth had been found, the 

 Nairobi meeting took on a new aspect, and I looked forward to it 

 more with interest and anticipation than with concern. 



Cartwright's story had been constantly in my mind. From my 

 wide knowledge of the fishes of South and East Africa, I could 

 still think of no species of fish known from there that fitted his 

 original spontaneous description as well as a Coelacanth. I wanted 

 to question him further, so arranged my flight north from Lou- 

 ren90 Marques so as to be able to spend a night in Salisbury, 

 where I met Cartwright and we talked at length. It is significant 

 that nothing emerged from our discussion that made it in any way 

 less likely that his fish had been a Coelacanth ; rather the reverse. 



When I got to Nairobi, it was to find that Millot and Worthing- 

 ton had invited Drs. Menache and Wheeler to attend our meeting 

 as well, and it certainly was interesting. 



Despite my now relative detachment, my technical instinct was 

 naturally to further the catching of Coelacanths, soon and many. 

 As the proceedings developed, it was almost uncanny how they 

 followed, only in much more condensed fashion, almost exactly 



* This term is applied by some scientists to those forms which do not or 

 are not likely to give rise by evolution to other forms. Thus the Coelacanth and 

 homo sapiens both fall into this category. 



