37 Ooomsis Van had 12 mammals on his table today, but nothing new to the collection. Last night's jacking after dinner yielded only a big, banded gecko and three species of frogs. Bats offered no shots before dinner. Nothing from late shooting. There is too much moon for jacking. Have 24 numbers of today's plants catalogued. All my dryers are full and for the first time on the trip I have both drying units in action. Thursday, April 30. Cool early morning (72 F) followed by a very hot, almost breezeless day (90 F). Scattered high clouds: no rain. We hear that the Markham still runs high. Cadets Wright and White accompanying me, I collected up to 1200 feet on a minor eminence about a mile SW by S from camp which is given as 1350 feet on the Forest Dept. map of this timber area. Followed a clear flowing branch of Oomsis Creek a little way from the loading ramp in the forest, then came (from c. 400 to 900 feet) a steep climb through rather characterless primary forest. At about 900 ft. a big Casuarina appeared and I saw the first oak. Both continued at our top point, where a fair-sized opening in the forest was tangled with Gleichenia and carried small second growth trees such as Macaranga, Alphitonia and Commersonia. A Eurya also grew there. Had my boys cut down an oak (flowers and acorns), and Soni climbed a tall Casuarina. This species has very fine twigs and appears different from any I have collected before (small cones). It is in the C. papuana group. A reddish Emballonura, swatted last night by Lionel Baker's cook, is new to Van's collection. Total spp. for the camp now 24. Dined with Bill Jenkins and Jack Lewine at the Forest Camp five miles up the road. Friday, May 1. Today's weather as yesterday's. Spent most of the morning on list of supplies for our proposed 2 months on Mt. Wilhelm. Had most of yesterday's collection left over for want of dryers to put them in. Sent the boys out to collect more and they brought in 6-8 numbers new to the collection. Some of these still have to be catalogued, for the Womersleys, bringing Lorry Edwards (Draughtsman of the Forest Dept. in Port Moresby who is in Lae to start botanical drawings for a memorial handbook on the timber trees for the late Director, J.B. McAdam), arrived soon after five and I had to quit work then. Womersley brought out a Pseudocheirus which died on his hands in the zoo part of the Botanic Gardens, having been caught somewhere in the mountains above Mumeng. Also brought mail which must have been lying for days in the office of Buntings in Lae. Martin of Buntings is hopeless. For most of the remainder of the trip we will be dealing with Buntings of Goroka, which seems to be a wide awake concern. Have decided to ask all regular correspondents to address our mail C/O Department of Forests, Lae. Sent John Collins to Lae to buy a month's supplies to carry us to the end of May.