Lae - Oomsis To dinner in the evening with John and Eshbel Gunn, Harry S. Trinder, only dentist in private practice in town, and a good story teller in a broad Sydney accent, also a guest. After dinner Van, John, Gunn, Trinder and Bill Smythe betook themselves to the Lutheran Mission across Budibum Creek to jacklight mammals. They returned, late, with 2 Petaurus and and Echymipera, the latter having been run down in long grass by John and Joe Collins. Forgot to mention that Joe, John's oldest brother, arrived in town this A.M. from Port Moresby, en route to Goroka after some business in this area on a timber lease on the Chimbu Divide. After long negotiations he has secured a lease of 1000 acres at c. 7000-8000 ft. carrying much Podocarpus and other good timber. Another block will be available when this one is cut out. Believed to be about 50 years of cutting in the general area. A partial eclipse of the sun this A.M. accompanied by a distinct drop in temperature. Thursday, April 9. Dull, sultry day followed by steady rain in the evening and extending well into the night (now 10 P.M.). Most of my day spent on the galley proof. Have finished 30 of the 51 pages. John laying in supplies for the Oomsis Camp and having the dealer's 1000-mile (actually 800-mid) check made on the Land Rover. A red letter day for Van. In 3 nets set in the Botanic Garden he found this morning 3 of the previously collected small Nyctimene sp., 2 Syconycteris, and 1 Macroglossus. And this afternoon a long-expected Zaglossus from Telefomin near the Dutch border arrived by air for the Botanic Garden cages and was found dead this morning. We have the body. A mature specimen in perfect condition, now safe in a plastic bag in our household icebox. Friday, April 10. Our start for the bush today was too characteristic of New Guinea. Got away between 8 and 9 AM. our two Finschhafen boys on a Forestry truck which also took a great herbarium (spare from the Forest Herbarium) drier which I will use with 2 Tilley lamps as a source of heat. Van had another netted Syconycteris to work on, and a snake or two, but this did not delay us. We waited until 11:45 for Mark Schultz to arrive with the key to the house we were to occupy. When we had got through talking with him, and Lionel Baker, who drove him into town (Mark's Land Rover had broken down), it was time to eat. Then we had to wait until the opening of the shops at 1:30 to take delivery of fresh meat (our house has a kerosene-burning refrigerator). Various other delays kept us in town until 2:50. We arrived what we will call Oomsis Camp 40 minutes after that - it is 22 road miles from Lae. The house, c. 30 x 20 ft., is on high stumps and well built, also secured against insects. It has now windows. A thick coat of dust from the nearby road lay over every- things and mopping it clean took time. A most comfortable camp. Saturday, April. 11. We found today that Oomsis, about 400 feet above sea level, may be even hotter than coastal Lae. Had difficulty in sticking to work on my galley proof. Van last night shot a pale brown small Melomys in the smallhouse. Twenty traps out produced a bandicoot (Echymipera), a Rattus ruber, and a Rattus exulans.