-69- Trapped this morning was an Antechinus, the first phascogale for the collection. Mammal tally for the camp is 103 specimens of 10, possibly 11, species. Herps come in slowly: about 5 spp. of frogs and 2 of lizards to date. Best results in insects are from the beating sheet. Van saving a nice lot of ectoparasites (mostly fleas and ticks) from mammals shot and trapped. Birds in this locality are very tame. In the forest especially when the mist is down, one can almost touch them in the undergrowth. Flocks of a tiny parrot feed in flowering trees. Every morning a bird of paradise (Astrepin) calls from the trees beside camp and flaunts its long ribbon-like black tail feathers. Saturday May 30, 1953: Max. 18.5, Min. 6.5 C. Temp. F at 6:30 A.M. 47°. Clear early morning. Mist clouds by mid morning and where I was, drizzling rain beginning 9 A.M. Long, heavy showers thereafter and into night. Strong wind up valley about 7 P.M., blowing rain into the west end of the preparations fly. Wishing to open up the upper Gwariu Valley for collecting, I took a risk on the weather and at 8:10 set out with my boys Tomi and Bobi and boss-boy Jimmy. Leaving Ken's track at 8:40 (alt. 2190 m.) I set a course of 160° to follow the benchlands of the east side of the valley and a point where the Gwariu turns westerly toward Kakatun Peak. Clouds low over the Dayman peaks, but theèse and Goropu clear. A sol- itary small quail flushed from the grass. From Kim, trail 20 minutes travel over grass and fern (mostly burnt) brought in to forest in a broad depression, which took an hour to cut through in light rain. Alt. 2000 m. Five minutes across a patch of fern and grass, then cutting trail through forest till 11 o'clock, when heavy rain began pelting down and we sheltered under a big Pandanus tree. Lit a fire among the pandan stilt roots. Broiled the tea billy and boys cooked rice. Alt. 2200 m. Glimpses through the forest after the rain took up indicated more heavy cutting ahead on steep slopes, but an apparent opening in the forest below us to the west in the direction of the river. Left the lunch camp 12:30. Made for the opening and found a long grassy slope. Followed this down to 2160 m. and in 40 minutes from the lunch camp reached the bed of the Gwariu at 2050 m. Descent through forest from the [illegible] grass patch to the river not unduly steep and footing good. Where we saw it the river ran in a deep ravine narrow and steep enough to be called a gorge. Stream about 30 ft. wide, flood banks thrice that. Picturesque rocky bed, small gravel bars and banks, edged by moss covered trees. Big rocks covered with bryophytes, and trailing plants such as Geophila, Galium, Geranium. Spent an hour and 10 minutes botanizing on the river banks. River crossable by stepping from stone to stone. Water cold. Two of the