Lae - Oomsis In the afternoon I had my boys begin the slow job of putting protecting brass screws (instead of steel nails) into the soles and heels of my boots, while I started to organize supplies for the mountains. Van also working on supplies. The stuff we want for a planned 2 months of work on Mt. Wilhelm will be flown in to Goroka during the next month on government charter flights. Late in the day, Van and John investigated a report of bat infestation in the roof of one of the Qantas staff houses. They found about a dozen small Pipistrellus, all but one of which escaped. In the evening John Gunn and Bill Smythe dropped in with a great funnel-web spider they had collected at Eric Duncan's farm, about three miles west of Lae. Smythe says he has seen this spider only in the Lae area. It does not dig the holes in the ground which it occupies. It uses cicada holes, holes left by roots which have rotted out, etc. These holes may be anything from about 6 inches to 3 feet in length. Today's collection came from the steep bank of a small stream in rain forest. Thursday, April 23. Day spent on the organization of supplies and looking after collections. Wind now from the SE (at least temporarily) and in consequence the bulk store is noticeably cooler than before. A very heavy squall during the early evening. The town power went out and we had to eat our dinner by flashlamps. Also, had to go to bed instead of doing paper work which must be done. Mick Leahy and his wife returned from the U.S. and Hawaii and we met them at the airport early in the morning. On the drive home to Zenag, in the mountains towards Bulolo, their car broke down. Someone brought them in to town. I sent John in the Land Rover to get their car going. Failing to do this, he drove them on to Zenag. This lost us the use of our vehicle in the afternoon and numerous errands have had to be put off until tomorrow. Lae is so spread out that one is helpless without a vehicle. There is a native-driven taxi service, but costs are high and one may wait up to 1/4 hour for a taxi to arrive. Late in the day we were driven down to the Dick Tebb house on the waterfront to see a consignment of live animals which will be shipped to Sydney tomorrow on the Bulolo in cargo of Dave Bush, head keeper of Taronga Park Zoo. About a dozen tree climbing kangaroos of two ssp. (matschei and a grizzled dark brown one which might be goodfellowi), a Satanelius, and 20 salvadorini ducks. I understand that the ducks are to be sent on to England: 4 for Regents Park, 16 for the wildlife establishment of Peter Scott in Cumberland. Visited the Bulolo at the wharf after dinner to meet Mr. and Mrs. Jock McLean, parents of Ishbel Gunn. Jock and planter of the Bainings, New Britain. A very intelligent old Scott who has been in the country since 1912 and after World War 1 acquired an expropriated German property (coconuts and cocoa). Friday, April 24. Back at the Oomsis Camp tonight, and glad to be here. It has been impossible to avoid social doings in Lae, and pleasant though this may be, it interferes with letter writing and so on which one hopes to accomplish in the evenings. Paid off this morning the Finschhafen boy Naton who has been working for me on plants. He was a good, energetic, intelligent boy with a rather unusual