127 Purosa Wednesday, September 23. I am so much behind with journal that this is being written two days late and weather notes would be too much a matter of memory to be reliable. Botanized up the slopes from camp on trail cut by John yesterday. Easy good for the most part. This is the easiest locality as regards slope that we have been in since we came to the Highlands. Deep chocolate brown soil, with the stickiness when moist which denotes rich loam to the gardener, derives from mudstones like the strata of Gono. Went up not more than 500 ft. A dense sub- stage and subcanopy prevented my seeing into the treetops most of the time, but the forest appeared to be still mixed rain forest. Rather frequent as a big canopy tree was a red-flowered Hibiscus. Noted in one place were the great elongate fruits (c. 5 in. long) of what appeared to be an Endiandra sp. My collection was mostly of ground plants and low epiphytes, none of them abundant in species. Included, as rarities were saprophytic Corsia sp. and Sciaphila sp., and the root parasite Balanophora sp. (the latter in male flower only and without the mousy odor I associate with the genus. Another notable plant, but not rare, was Leptopetis alpina, a miniature tree-fern and one of the most attractive ferns, to me, in New Guinea. I have saved material from which I hope to get spores to send to the Longwood Gardens. A big day for mammals. Eighteen specimens on the table including Melomys fellowsii (white incisors), the first seen since Pengagl. Thursday, September 24. First early morning here without low mist. Day more than half overcast, however. No rain for two days and one night. Unprepared material kept me in camp until about eleven, when I went down- hill from camp on a trail cut by Kim the cook. Went down perhaps 300 feet and into two ravines with small flowing streams. Thought the ravines would be rich in plants, but they were not. Picked up several species of ferns, a very robust Elatostema, etc. Was surprised to find big water beetles darting on the surface of small pools in the larger stream and managed to catch one by hand; sky was overcast and I did not have a net with me. More visitors this afternoon, and in consequence today's plant collection is only half prepared. Visitors were Department of Agriculture men: John Barrett, entomologist, and J. Van Velders, plant virologist. Both appeared very competent, and were nice to meet. They could not stay the night. Barrett is entomologist at the coffee experiment station at Aiyura, Van Velders, assistant to Dr. Dorothy Shaw, is stationed at Kerivat on New Ireland and is visiting the mainland on observation of a virus which affects Crotolaria (planted extensively as a first year shade cover for coffee) and other economic legumes. Barrett a general entomologist; has a collection of about 10,000 specimens at Aiyura. Looked through my bigger insects caught here and said two moths and a beetle were unknown to him. Still bigger day for mammals. Local natives beginning to bring in material in quantity. Thirty-one specimens on the table, including 6 spp. new for the camp: Phalanger vestitus, Pseudocheirus corinnae, Uromys anax, Dactylopsila, Egonomelomys, Lorentzomys. Four of these were jacked by Van last night. Dactylopsila here is different from any I have seen before: the black is blacker, the animal shorter of body and long-furred especially about the base of the tail. It has the strong musty smell of the others of the group.