INTRODUCTION 



he had heard enough about the subject to know that he was not a pioneer 

 in the field, though he may be among the first of the amateurs. Here 

 let it be recorded, therefore, that the man who made the first photo- 

 graphs of fishes in their natural habitat did so in the year 191 3, and 

 his name is J. E. Williamson. He it was who conceived and designed 

 the wonderful apparatus which he called the photosphere.* 



My expeditions under the sea, at least the only ones meriting descrip- 

 tion, were made in the Bahamas; the out islands as those are called that 

 lie nearest Nassau. Cruising in these waters is so full of interest and new 

 sensations that my activities were not confined to submarine photogra- 

 phy. Companions were with me for whose enjoyment I felt responsible; 

 consequently we spent much time in going from place to place, fishing, 

 bathing, and walking on strange and beautiful beaches. I have, therefore, 

 described these cruises in narrative, bringing in each diving expedition 

 as it occurred. 



* 20 Years Under the Sea. Williamson (Hale, Castleman and Flint). 



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