127- Someone at the Museum (Gilliard or Mayr) told me that birds of paradise are unknown from this island. Today I saw a black bird the size of a small crow, which looked like a female paradise bird. At Bolu Bolu I saw what I took to be a Manucodia. The Fergusson Islanders know their P. Decora as Siaí. Our native hunter says there are no Siaí here, but there is a small black bird with a long tail, which dances in tree-tops (Astrepiá?). Wednesday, October 14, 1953: Max. 25 deg. Min. 13.5 C. (Maximum reading doubtful). High overcast in early morning, followed by a day mostly clear. No mist or rain. Spent day in camp preparing accumulated plants and odd jobs which I finished about 4 o'clock. Then collected my fifth Cyathea for the locality. Tree-ferns are unusually abundant in these forests. Other ferns not as plentiful or in the variety that was on Maneau. Another black-headed bandicoot brought in by the native hunter; a rat in traps; two black Miniopterus shot by Van. The local mel- anism in mammals is a remarkable thing. Authors have called the people of the island black or blackish, but to this I can not agree. Individuals may be darker than the average native of eastern Papua, but they are not a blackish people. Thursday, October 15, 1953: Max. ____ Min. 13.5 C. Found yesterday that the afternoon sun had been striking the thermometers. Mist driftin through the forest at daylight and moisture dripping from trees and tapping on my tent. Rain most of the day and on into the night. Did some collecting to the SE and got wet in the process. Ken returned, reporting a good camp site at 600-800 m. As usual when he carries the aneroid something goes wrong with it. The report is of good forest - apparently rain forest - at an al- titude suitable for us. Have decided to move down there on the 24th. A longer stay here would not be justified for mammals.