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a.m., refuelled at Lumbo and set off down south with the Coelacanth 

 and its smell and away from the heat. Heavy clouds made us fly low and 

 so we did not touch down at Durban until about 9.00 p.m., but I was 

 terribly thankful to be in my own country with that fish. In the island I 

 thanked the French authorities for their co-operation, but I also told 

 them that if that fish had been found on the steps of their Governor- 

 General, I would have gone to claim it because ethically it was mine — 

 it had come as a result of these fourteen years of hard endeavour. 



G. Moore: Professor Smith, one question, please. What is it you 

 hope to prove now that you have your Coelacanth ? 



Prof. Smith : Of all creatures the Coelacanths retain the structures in 

 their body unchanged over vast periods of time more than any other 

 creatures, and so we hope in the soft parts of this fish to learn something 

 of the early types of life. Our great hope is that we shall find one of 

 these Coelacanths with young inside them, because from the embryo 

 we may learn more. I should have told you one important thing, and 

 that is that the natives round there have told Eric Hunt that they catch 

 two or three Coelacanths every year, not only that, there is a 

 smaller kind, so we may even hope for another species as well. But I 

 do believe that it is only a matter of time now before we get one of 

 these wonder fishes in such a condition that it will give biologists 

 information that none of us dared to hope for fifteen years ago. 



G. Moore: Thank you, sir. Have you named this fish at all? 



Prof. Smith: It is my present intention, subject to further study, 

 to name it first in honour of the Prime Minister and secondly to com- 

 memorate the locality, and the name I have in my mind, but that is to 

 be confirmed, is Malania anjouanae, the new Coelacanth. 



G. Moore: Thank you, sir — and may I say on behalf of South 

 Africa how much we congratulate you and how proud we are of 

 you. 



Prof. Smith : Thank you, and I say again publicly as I have said to 

 him personally, we owe a very great debt to our Prime Minister for 

 his foresight in providing a harebrained scientist with a plane to go and 

 look for a dead fish. 



G. Moore: Thank you, sir, thank you. {Clapping of hands, etc.) 



G. Moore : And that is the actual description of the newest page in 

 South Africa's history. 



Announcer: You have just listened to a re-broadcast of an eye- 

 witness account by George Moore of the arrival of Professor J. L. B. 

 Smith at Durban Airport late last night, together with an interview 

 with Profesror Smith.' 



Many letters about this broadcast were received, not only from 



