2. Crossed International Date Line Arrived Nandi 12 noon their time. 1293 miles and 5 hours from Canton Island. Showery there. Passengers had tea, the watery syrup mixes which are called fruit juices here, and bar drinks. A 10,000 ft. runway for big jet aircraft nearing completion. To me it seems to be across wind. Certainly it crosses the present runway at a wide angle. The inland end is rather close under the hills. Weather today fairly cool - for Nandi. Surroundings of Mocambo Hotel at airport colorful with flowering trees, shrubs, etc. but conditions against photography. Showers also drove to cover a small crowd of locals - mainly Hindu, some Fijian - gathered to watch the planes, and perhaps to say goodbye to some missionaries (2 nuns, some native girls) who took off by another Qantas craft for New Zealand soon after our arrival. Monday, March 16. Skipping a day, but spending only a little over an hour in Fiji we left for Sydney at 11:10 Nandi time. About 50% of our passengers stayed at Nandi or branched off there for New Zealand. One of our passengers bound for Sydney is a man named Batchelor, who says he saw to the unloading and assembling of Dick Archbalds' Fairchild aircraft KONO in Brisbane in 1936. Now is distributor of ethyl additive in Sydney. Has been in U.S. on business. Drinking heavily. Flew over Sydney as night fell and landed at 8:25 their time. Journey of 10,215 miles from New York, 39 hours 55 minutes flying time. A very good flight. After a time, one becomes used to sitting up in a plane and takes numerous naps. Van and I both in good shape after the long flight. Landing formalities were perfunctory and soon over (smallpox vaccination certificate, passport, alien registration exemption customs). Interviews by 5 or 6 newspaper men took more time. Were met at airport by Curators Allen Keast (Birds) and Basil Marlowe (Mammals) of the Australian Museum, who drove as to our hotel in town (Wentworthh Hotel). First impressions of Sydney include cleanliness of streets and buildings, clear air, absence of diesel fumes (they still have "trams"(trolley cars) and the buses are electrical), and smallness of the motor cars, which are mostly of English or the local Holden makes. There are numerous small parks, and trees in some of the streets (plane trees, Moreton Bay figs, Lombardy poplars, etc.). The hotel is an old building and semi-modern in appointments. Food good and well served in an attractive dining room (some European waiters). Van and I have a twin bedroom suite with big sitting room, padded bar, refrigerator, window type air conditioner, and bathrom for L 6-10-0 a day (about $14). A rather high price for Australia. But we do have two nice vases of gladiolus, free TV and radio. Keast and Marlowe dined with us at the hotel. Young men of pleasant manner, keen and enthusiastic. Marlowe an Englishman about 5 years in Australia, formerly with CSIRO, about 2 years at the Museum; interested in ecology, physiology and systematics. Keast an Australian. Has been longer at the Museum than Marlowe, and is perhaps more aggressive. Much interested in ecology and problems of speciation. Is presently working on a problem of breeding in birds in the dry Bourke area (12 inch rainfall), where molting is photoperiodic but breeding is governed by rainfall.