83 Pengagl Creek Friday, July 3. Max. 18, min. 7 C. Day began clear; by 8:30 clouds came over through Bundi Gap; from about 10 to 2 o'clock clear and sunny; some showers after 4:30. Worked up what used to be the main track to Piunde-Aunde before the rock-slide altered the nature of the creek and made a feasible walking route of it. A forest with very open canopy, and some of the principal trees with open crowns (Podocarpus papuanus, small-leaved Weinmannia, etc.). In consequence, there is an abundant substange layer and woody undergrowth. No definite subcanopy layer where I was today. Lower trunks of trees well mossed; and supporting an abundance of few spp. of ferns. Ground a good deal disturbed by pigs near the trail. The only large tree seen was the podocarpus which grows to at least 100 ft. tall and up to about 3 ft. diameter. It produces a well formed log; one near camp estimated by John (who has sawmilling experience) to contain 300 super feet of timber. A couple of the common Rattus, a Melomys, and (new for the mountain) a Parahydromys taken in 116 traps last night, the water rat from the junction of Pengagl and Tubuka creeks, where there is a nice pool and some old drift logs Nothing seen by Van or John in another evening of jacking. This is hard to understand. For the first time on the mountain we have mail, but there must be more somewhere. Latest dates on letters are June 5 for USA, June 8 for Australia. The one Time air edition magazine to arrive is dated June 8. The small batch of mail arrived byy the hand of luluai Kindua, via the Dengalagu mission, via ADO Kundiawa. Terry Dwyer, until recently ADO Kundiawa, offered to send on by runner any mail that arrived for us. He did nothing. Today's batch followed a report which I wrote John Womersley and which he would have received (via the Catholic Mission plane to Madang) on Tuesday. Saturday, July 4. Max. 18.0, Min. 9.5 C. Light rain continued well into last night. Today completely overcast. Steady light rain began at 3:00 p.m. Have on hand more plants than I can dry, but in case tomorrow should be wetter than today, I went into the field after lunch. Worked up the bed of the creek, from which I had a fair view of the forest face. Sheltered from the rain under the hanging dead lower leaves of a Pandanus tree. Got tired of this after half an hour and made a dash for camp, arriving half wet. Sent my alpine and subalpine collection of plants ( 8 bundles) down to the mission storage shed at Keglsugl strip, where conditions are nice and dry. Among six mammals added to the collection today were two pale brown rats which look somewhat like Pogonomys but are of uncertain identity. Another Parahydromys trapped at the junction of Pengagl and Tubuka creeks. Mammals are coming in slowly. Total for the camp thus far 37 specimens of 8 species. Sunday, July 5. Max. 15.5, min. 9.5 C. The rain that started yesterday PM, coming up the valley, continued as a misty drizzle, sometimes heavier, through the night. A short break until about 11 this morning, then heavy rain until 3 p.m. The one consolation about this miserable weather is that we are not suffering it at our alpine camp.