45 Gurakor it down to near the main road. Found there several ferns new to the collection including a third Grammitis. A big, fleshy acanthaceous herb grew in colonies on open rocks. Various interruptions during the afternoon prevented my getting more than half of my plants prepared. A social day -- to the disadvantage of our work. As I started into the field this morning I was called in to meet Mrs. Horrolt, who has been sick ever since our arrival, supposedly with malaria boosting temperature up to 104. A heavy German woman with serene face and direct brown eyes. Very much interested in her garden, and waiting for the time when, toward Christmas, her children will be home from school. The eldest is a son aged 22; there is a daughter Erika, and others. The children, when at home, scour the forests for plants for her wild garden. In the afternoon a govt. veterinarian named Harry Rothwell and another govt. man called in to see Van. Rothwell was at the Animal Industry lab. at Port Moresby when Van worked there in March; recently stationed in Lae; in- specting the slaughtering of beef at Zenag. Later, Horrolt brought over John Turner, medical assistant i/c native hospital Mumeng, who had come down to see Mrs. Horrolt. In the same party was a young German named Stimm who for some time has been at the Lutheran Mission dairy at Malahang, outside Lae (the mission has a commercial dairy in competition with Mick Leahy in the milk supply of Lae, and has the advantage of a pasteurization plant). Stimm is a professional dairy- man with an urge to travel. Has worked on a dairy farm in California, in Australia, and in a few days is heading back to Germany. The damp weather, or something, is affecting the health of our boys. The cook's helper off duty today. My #1 flower-flower boy pretty sluggish and asked for medicine tonight. All lowland New Guinea natives, and many high- landers, are loaded with malaria and any climatic change is apt to lay them low. John's trouble has been diagnosed at "tropical ear", a thing common on the lowlands of this area and attributed to an infection picked up while swimming. Sunday, May 10. A beautiful crisp clear morning with a temperature of 68 in- side the house soon after dawn. Rain for about an hour after 3 o'clock. Overcast tonight. No field work today other than running traplines and preparing specimens on hand. I spent most of the afternoon making an inventory of stores on hand and packing them for a hoped-for move tomorrow. I thought John might have turned up tonight, but there is no news from him or of him. With Horrolt and young Stimm, Van and I attended church service this morning. This was in the village of Gurakor, about 1/2 mile down the road. Church of thatch, with dirt floor except for the altar end, which was floored with sawn lumber. Probably about 300-400 people there, in the senior church. The juniors in about similar numbers were in a different building. Service started at 10, after Horrolt had given out from the pulpit mails which had come to him for the congregation -- most of the letters in red, white & blue airmail envelopes. Horrolt conducted the initial part of the service, a native teacher, in lap-lap shirt and barefooted, delivered the sermon (preparation for Pente- cost next Sunday) and the concluding parts. All talk was in Yabim?, a language of the Finschhafen coast which has been introduced into this part of the country by the Lutheran Mission. The multiplicity of tongues is such (about 700 so far