-34- boy, out for a stroll after lunch, spotted a brown cus cus in a high tree in the forest. Tree climbed by the No. 2 cook. Animal ran down to the ground, and was caught alive. A second brown cuscus caught by one of Van's collecting boys, also by climbing a tree. An excellent day for mammals. An Anglican Mission vessel, the McLaren King, dropped anchor in Menapi Bay at 6 PM and will be leaving early in the morning, taking mails. A radiogram from Womersley advising that he and Hoogland expect to arrive Samarai on the 13th. They will arrange with the District Commissioner for boat transportation. I expect them here about the 15th. Womersley asked if Forest Officer Hart would be acceptable to accompany us to the mountains. Have never heard of Hart, but radioed a welcome for him to join us. Thursday 4/2/53. Fine again, until mid-afternoon, after which there were occasional showers till dark. Wind SE. A long morning of 5½ hours in the field. Followed the Baniara track to the mangroves at mouth of the Okawabero River, thence up the river a mile or more. Except for strips of sago swamp in wet hollows, the river lands have all been cleared for gardens at some time and present vegetation is about 50/50 regrowth forest and Imperata grassland. Some fine banana gardens on the alluvial land, mostly on ground which was flooded by the river by the heavy rains of last week. Yams and sweet potatoes planted in gardens on dry ground. A little manioc. No European vegetables seen. Finding collecting poor along the river, I took to the hills and headed back in the direction of camp. In a very steep rain forested gully on the Okawabero fall, collected Garcinia 21798 and Myristica 21808, both tall canopy trees. Noteworthy plants on the Menapi fall were Anonaceae with very large pinkish cauliflorous flowers smelling like rotten bananas (No. 21801), and a splendid fan palm (21809) which may be a Livistona. In country traversed the ridge crests were occupied by secondary Imperata grasslands, the gullies (too steep to cultivate) by primary rain forest. Highest altitude reached was about 400 ft. Highest hill in the area is 500 feet, according to the 1-mile map. Friday 4/3/53. Good Friday, and a holiday except for the usual running of trap lines and drying of plants. Strong SE breeze all day and continuing late into the night. When we arrived here the sea was always flat calm in early morning and seldom got choppy during the day. Now, day and night, there is the noise of about foot-high waves breaking on the beach. The shore is protected by a fringing coral reef. Outside, white-caps run during the day. Feeling good about the holiday, our boys, in their usual carefree way, were cutting loose in their house this morning, singing some pagan song to the accompaniment of hissing, and drum beats on the bottom of a cooking pot, when Father Chisholm, in white habit and black cap, came along from the mission to protest. For his sect, this is a day of fasting and silence – they don't even speak to each other – and the Gosiago noises were disturbing and irreverent. Spoke to the boys and they kept quiet for the rest of the day, even after 4 o'clock, when the Fast and Silence ended and Chisholm advised us to that effect. Mason the trader had dinner with us in the evening and I arranged with him for boat transport to Dabora for Van and I on Tuesday. We will make a sub-camp there to examine the grasslands and bat caves.