2^6 BATHYSPHERE DIVE THIRTY-FIVE 



trees of South America, I was treated to another example 

 of splendid seeing and interpretation. My own observations 

 at first were hazy and ill-defined — usually mere gropings 

 after words to express the hurried glimpses of the creatures 

 beyond our windows. Now and then a fish would be seen 

 by both of us at the same instant. To me, at first they were 

 but vague shapes punctuated by lights, while to the Di- 

 rector they were definite animals that were intelligibly 

 named or described. And as I listened to these descriptions 

 going up through the telephone to the deck above, my re- 

 action, time and time again, was to think, "Why, of 

 course — that fits exactly the shape and form and lights of 

 the creature that I just saw." Soon my eyes began to be 

 accustomed to the absolute three-dimensional field of 

 vision, and to focus more quickly and accurately. 



So to the excitement of going down in the bathysphere 

 were added the experience and companionship of an able 

 interpreter. It is of interest that three factors contribute 

 largely to the Director's ability to describe the Bermuda 

 under-sea creatures. First, he possesses extraordinary ob- 

 servational powers, produced after a lifetime of watching 

 and thinking and describing. Second, he has more or less 

 complete knowledge of the forms likely to be found out- 

 side the bathysphere, — a knowledge gained by six years of 

 study of the animals as they came fresh into the laboratory 

 in Bermuda from our deep-sea trawling nets. Thirdly, he 

 has accomplished a sufficient number of bathysphere dives 

 to have trained his eye and brain to see beyond the lumi- 



