Kaindi The beech grows to about 100 ft. high and a diameter of at least 3 feet, is widely branched and somewhat flat-topped. With it as a big tree is an occasional Phyllocladus. Podocarpus imbricatus (?) forms a big tree of the upper layer now and then and is common in the subcanopy; P. pilgeri is common in the sub-canopy; a few big broad-leaved species were not recognizable from the ground (one was Lauraceae). In the rather hasty collecting, most of the time with poor visibility, I found 2 Rapanea spp., Bubbia, Symplocos, and an Acronychia as undergrowth small trees. The scrambling bamboo collected a couple of days ago was prominent but presented no problem in getting through the undisturbed forest, so far as I could see. Noted as substage trees were the small-leaved Zanthomyrtus (or Decaspermum) collected yesterday in second growths near camp, Quintinia (also collected yesterday), and an Astronia. Soil on top was a leached gray under a thin peat layer covered by a thin litter layer; subsoil yellow and clayey; road cuts through crumbly dark gray slate on some point of ridges. Van had four rats in traps set in older second growth forest across the creek. From five traps set in his house, Bob Franklin produced 2 rats and 2 Mus musculus. Much shooting at bats down on the bank of the Meari last night, Bill Bradley participating. Sounded like a Chinese new year celebration. Results: a Pipistrellus and a Miniopterus, the former new to the collection. Saturday, May 16. Threatening dawn later clearing into the second best day of weather we have had here. Still little sun. Some heavy rain between 4 and 5 pm. Misty drizzle prevented bat shooting this evening. A blank from traps last night. Most of the traps (Van has less than 100 with him, all told) were set today in the primary forest which we walked through above Edie Creek on Monday. Van has had the local employers of native labor talk to their boys about bringing in mammals. This afternoon he had the first results when a Kukukuku of the road gang came in with good specimens of Anisomys and Pseudocheirus corinnae, which he said he had got by climbing trees on the mountain above us and pulling the beasts out of hollows. Yesterday both John and I saw rats on the roadside high on the mountain. With Joe Havel for company, I worked along the road for about a mile towards Wau, collecting mainly second growth elements. Also collected meager fruiting material of Nothofagus grandis, the overwhelming dominant of the remaining scraps of forest at about camp level, and, I now think, the main element of the former forests round about here. The beech was partly leafless, the upper branches in a pale green flush of young leaves among which were abundant male flowers, out of reach (got only some lower branches produced on one tree as a result of injury or exposure after felling of the surrounding forest). A Mallotus (?) and a Homalanthus the principal second growth elements (with three spp. of Rubus, they were the dominants in very young - 3-4 ft.) regrowths on top of Mt. Kaindi. With them 3 or 4 Saurauia spp., at least three figs, a cunoniaceous tree with red young leaves, long-leaved Eurya, etc. On high, clayed road banks I found still another Vaccinium and another Dimorphantera of the Ericaceae. I am saving fragments of all Ericaceae for Sleumer, who is revising the family for Flora Malesiana. Now have at least 3 dimorphantheras and a half a dozen vacciniums, a Gaultheria, and five or six Rhododendrons. So far we have had no sickness at Kaindi. Hope our luck holds. Practically all of the 40 boys employed on the roads have gone down with the mysterious Echo 6