160 Umi River Sent the boys bug hunting while I did odd jobs in camp and made pictures. Odonata collection added to considerably. Must have a dozen dragonfly spp. and 8-10 of damselflies for the camp. A good day for mammals. Fourteen specimens of 8 spp. on the table, mainly bats shot and netted last night, but including a 20-lb. Dorcopsis and a female Phalanger gymnotis with big pouch young brought in by a Tsingitrompon native. A large Miniopterus in one of the nets; the second insectivorous bat so caught on the expedition. John visited Tsingitrompon in afternoon to investigate the cave in which the natives caught the small bats some days ago; found it too distant to attempt in the time available. These Markham Valley people do not have bows and arrows and I have not seen one carrying a spear. They have more dogs than most New Guinea people and, even more exceptional, the dogs are well cared for. All the mammals brought to us by these natives (except bats) have been caught by the dogs. Saturday, November 28. Only a light shower last evening, but heavy rain sometime before dawn. Clouds down in our little valley at 6 a.m. Hot sun later in the day. River higher today than at any time since our arrival; rise of 6-8 inches. Must have been considerable rain on the headwaters. Boys insect collecting again this morning. Self packing up, writing letters, etc. This is our last day in camp, and probably it will be our last day of field work on the expedition. I may find plants to collect on the way in to Lae. Van has collections to pick up from Horrie Clissold at Wau. A number of interesting plants have been collected here, although I expected to get a few more numbers. Collection: 206 numbers including 26 bryophytes; 1055 herbarium sheets. Totals for the trip to date: 3619 numbers including 424 vascular cryptogams; 18, 1¼ herbarium sheets. The biggest collection I have made since the Snow Mts. expedition of 1938-39. The Umi Camp has given us a foothills locality, which we did not have before. It has also given a sampling of what occurs on the northern side of the broad, grassy Markham Valley. Rather numerous canopy trees and lesser trees and other plants are in flower, and the season is generally favorable for botanical collecting hereabouts. Best collecting has been had on river terraces. Generally the mountain slopes are unstable, soils immature, and the flora poor. Slopes appear mainly of unconsolidated sediments, characteristic of the southern slopes of the Finisterres, and subject to rapid erosion. The turbidity of rivers such as the Umi and Ofim are an indication of this. The Umi sometimes looks gray, sometimes brown, as now, when it is higher than normal. These rivers are said never to run clear. Mammals for the camp total 24 spp. including a Rattus brought in from traps on the morning of the 29th. There was a general dearth of rodents at this camp, only Melomys (1 sp.), Uromys and Hydromys being taken besides the solitary specimen of Rattus, which looks like exulans and was trapped beside the camp garbage pit. Sunday, November 29. The state of the weather and the river decided us to cut time planned for the Umi by one day and we left there for Lae at 9:45 a.m. Called in at Kaiapit to return flour and sugar borrowed from the Harris's when we were short a week or so ago, had lunch on the road, and arrived in Lae about 5 o'clock. Again we are occupying Buntings' comfortable and convenient house at #5 Second Street.