238 



Millot, have worked on the Coelacanths so far. The reports already 

 issued are in a sense preliminary and have not revealed anything of 

 especial importance. That can emerge only after long specialised study. 

 There has been criticism of the French for keeping this marvellous 

 scientific material of such wide interest to themselves, but as long as 

 the essential work is properly carried out, it is not important who does it. 

 The eighth Coelacanth was, like all the others, taken on a line, but 

 in this case the fisherman managed to tow it alive to the shore. There 

 it was put into a sunken boat which was covered with nets. It died next 

 day. 



Here is the account of the event given by Dr. Millot, published in 

 Nature^ London (February 1955): 



'The organization for the fishing and conservation of the Coelacanths 

 of the Comoro Islands created by the Institut de Recherche Scientifique 

 de Madagascar, with the invaluable support of the Administration 

 superieure and of the Commandement de 1' Air, reports a new success : 

 on November 12 last a further Latimeria was captured at Anjouan. This 

 brings the total since 1938 to eight and is the finest yet, as regards 

 both size and state of preservation, and by far the most interesting 

 because it is the first near adult female specimen which has come into 

 our hands as well as the first of these precious fishes which anyone has 

 been able to observe alive; for although an Italian expedition claimed 

 to have photographed one last year, at 15 metres depth, the circum- 

 stances were quite incredible.* 



*As a matter of fact the principal objective, once an adequate number 

 of specimens for anatomical investigation had been acquired, was to 

 capture a living one and keep it alive sufficiently long to make the 

 biological observations desired. This was a difficult proposition. 

 Hitherto, almost as soon as the fish had been brought to the surface, 

 the fishermen had promptly battered it to death with oars or dispatched 

 it with harpoons or knives in order to prevent it from struggling, and 

 to be able to hoist it into their narrow pirogue without too much trouble. 

 We had to put a stop to this deplorable behaviour and, on the contrary, 

 persuade them to do their utmost to bring the fish, alive and uninjured, 

 to the nearest harbour. This they were never willing to attempt, 

 fearing, not without good reason, that on the way a shark or a shoal 

 of barracuda might wrest their prize from them and lose them the 

 promised reward. It took a great deal of persuasion to obtain their 

 compliance, with an express promise that should they be successful the 

 reward would be doubled. 



* (It would be interesting to know why.) 



