-88- Van and Geoff on an excursion into the Atairo Gorge this A.M. Both impressed with the beauty of the waterfall. Saturday, July 18, 1953: Dull and for this altitude, muggy day, with drizzling rain beginning about four and ending 2 hours later. Evening overcast. Ken camp racing up the trail as I botanized below camp this morning carrying some extra traps for Van. With him were two small boys coming easily behind him with bananas and other fresh food. It is good to have the fresh stuff. What we really need is canned meat which Ken knew about when he went down to Biniguni a few days ago, but forgot. A pattern of events which we are more or less accus- tomed to by this time. Secondary rain forest on rather steep slopes as far as I went down the moun- tain this morning - about 550 m. An old village site at my terminal point. An old notched house stump about 6 inches in diameter. Dracaenas growing in the forest. The cut stubs of a big planted bamboo and a lime tree. The second growth forest of the usual mixed composition but no tree seen in flower or fruit, which is most unusual for trees of this community which spread widely because of their prolific reproduction of fruits and seeds ready for dis- persal. Commersonia and Rhees recognized. Macaranga apparently not present. Among collected plants were a common big treefern (Cyathea) and Pandanus Dinkel- mannianus, the former new to me, the latter widespread in New Guinea. Here at 700 m. we are at the exact upper edge of former cultivation on this part of the mountain by the Daga people who now live in the Biniguni group of villages. These people moved down to the foot of the mountain not many years ago (on orders by government, according to report); Ken says (information ob- tained from him some time ago and checked this evening) that the father of the present chief of Binigumi led the people who first settled on these slopes. The migration took place from Bibitan, soon after the murder of a white prospector named Werner (killed ca. 1010-1920). The leader was the first man in Bibitan to own a steel axe. Sunday, July 19, 1953: Max. 26, Min. 16.5 C. Some bursts of sunshine, but generally overcast day with occasional drizzle in early afternoon. Same weather on lowlands visible from here. Brownish SE haze obscuring distant views. Having much unprepared material on hand, and still nursing my shoulder, I sent the boys down into the Atairo Gorge this morning. Nice lot of plants which I have only started to work on. Am so overloaded with specimens that I will have to pickle some in formalin. The mammal take from this camp remains remarkable: 24 specimens of 14 species and genera. Today's accessions were, from over 200 traps, a giant rat which looks like a Uromys except for its pale born color, and a small pale brown mouse. Also the first bats for the camp: a Hipposideros, and a very small russet brown kind which reminds me of Schuteinus. Van now has at least 40 species of mammals from the mountain. The frog business is booming for Geoff; 39 specimens of 6 or 7 species got with headlamps last night.