Kellogg became interested in the Fuzzies immediately, squatting to examine them.  He said something to Mallin, who compressed his lips and shook his head, saying: 

“We simply cannot assume sapience until we find something in their behavior which cannot be explained under any other hypothesis.  We would be much safer to assume nonsapience and proceed to test that assumption.”

That seemed to establish the keynote.  Kellogg straightened, and he and Mallin started one of those “of course I agree, doctor, but don’t you find, on the other hand, that you must agree” sort of arguments, about the difference between scientific evidence and scientific proof.  Jimenez got into it to the extent of agreeing with everything Kellogg said, and differing politely with everything Mallin said that he thought Kellogg would differ with.  Borch said nothing; he just stood and looked at the Fuzzies with ill-concealed hostility.  Gerd and Ruth decided to help getting dinner.

They ate outside on the picnic table, with the Fuzzies watching them interestedly.  Kellogg and Mallin carefully avoided discussing them.  It wasn’t until after dusk, when the Fuzzies brought their ball inside and everybody was in the living room, that Kellogg, adopting a presiding-officer manner, got the conversation onto the subject.  For some time, without giving anyone else an opportunity to say anything, he gushed about what an important discovery the Fuzzies were.  The Fuzzies themselves ignored him and began dismantling the stick-and-ball construction.  For a while Goldilocks and Cinderella watched interestedly, and then they began assisting.

“Unfortunately,” Kellogg continued, “so much of our data is in the form of uncorroborated statements by Mr. Holloway.  Now, please don’t misunderstand me.  I don’t, myself, doubt for a moment anything Mr. Holloway said on that tape, but you must realize that professional scientists are most reluctant to accept the unsubstantiated reports of what, if you’ll pardon me, they think of as nonqualified observers.”

“Oh, rubbish, Leonard!” Rainsford broke in impatiently.  “I’m a professional scientist, of a good many more years’ standing than you, and I accept Jack Holloway’s statements.  A frontiersman like Jack is a very careful and exact observer.  People who aren’t don’t live long on frontier planets.”

“Now, please don’t misunderstand me,” Kellogg reiterated.  “I don’t doubt Mr. Holloway’s statements.  I was just thinking of how they would be received on Terra.”

“I shouldn’t worry about that, Leonard.  The Institute accepts my reports, and I’m vouching for Jack’s reliability.  I can substantiate most of what he told me from personal observation.”

“Yes, and there’s more than just verbal statements,” Gerd van Riebeek chimed in.  “A camera is not a nonqualified observer.  We have quite a bit of film of the Fuzzies.”

“Oh, yes; there was some mention of movies,” Mallin said.  “You don’t have any of them developed yet, do you?”