9. On the good side, we found awaiting us at the airport John Collins, a clean-looking, frank type of young man who will be our transport and supplies man. We are assured of all the resources of the government in getting together an outfit with which we will be able to carry out what must necessarily be a somewhat limited program of field work during the three weeks we will have to wait for our cargo. A big, ventilated storehouse has been placed at our disposal as working quarters and repository for collections (a Department of Forests building in the Botanic Gardens). We have the two experienced boys who joined us in Port Moresby. And here, in Lae, good, generous Bob Bunting has given us a fine 2-bedroom house to live in, well furnished and equipped and complete with a laundry boy-caretaker. Myrtle the Turtle (the name of our 40-pound Carettochelys insculpta now has from a limerick told by waggish District Commissioner Niall), well impregnated with injected formalin and concealed in a sugar bag, accompanied us as air baggage on the flight from Port Moresby. Our 109-inch wheel base Land Rover, ordered through Buntings three months ago, was ready for delivery by the suppliers -- or so they thought (Suppliers are Burns Philp (New Guinea) Ltd.). But it was fitted with conventional tires instead of the mud-grip (locally, "bar-tread") type I ordered, and the canvas hood over the body was of the wrong type. We have the vehicle, at any rate, and are promised the right fittings. We also have a 6'3" x 4' 3" trailer. The Land Rover is fitted with a spotlight. A power winch ordered was not available. Thursday, March 26. A busy day as a result of which, and partly from yesterday's activities, we have the Land Rover registered and insured (third party insurance is compulsory), Van and I have local driver's licenses (issued by the police on presentation of our American licenses and payment of a ten-shilling fee), Van has authority to operate the Lae ban account (Bank of New South Wales) in the event that anything should happen to me, Buntings' customs agent (E.B. Davis) has instructions to ensure by radiogram that our cargo actually is loaded on the Shansi, the Land Rover is fitted as we want it and a few small rust spots from the salt air painted over, Van has a string of mammal's skulls hanging in Womersley's plant dryer, a message has gone out for boys (two botany boys, 1 mammal boy, and a No. 2 cook), Van and I are booked for a two-day aerial reconnaissance under Womersleys guidance and at government expense next Tuesday and Wednesday, we have some field clothing, Van has a pair of boots, we have had a talk with John Gunn of the Customs Office, an enthusiastic and rather impractical young man who for two years or more has been collecting live reptiles and mammals for the Melbourne Zoo, etc. The buying of field khakis took up much time. Buntings here is little more than a grocery store. At Burns Philp's big store we were shown mostly shoddy lines, selling at high prices, and little that they had would fit either Van or me. For trousers, we ended up by driving down to China Town and being measured by a Chinese tailor at three pounds a pair. This price less by 15/- the cost at B.P.'s of the poorly fitting garments of which Van and I took one pair each for immediate use. Only one line of very poor, heavy-soled ankle boots was available in town, so we had to buy a cheap sort of white basketball shoe. When our plight in this became known to Fred Towner, Acting Superintendent of Police (who carried a major's crowns on his shoulder straps), he invited us around to his office and Van van came out with a nice pair of police officer's issue boots. My feet are smaller than pliceman's size, so I shall have to get along with the basketball shoes.