-35- Saturday 4/4/53. Weather as yesterday, but the southeaster died down before dark. These are good days for field work. The paths are dry. Visibility is good in the forests. There is a definite diminution in the flow of the small streams in the past week. Probably there is little surface water in the rain first gullies, or anywhere else in the hills, during the season of SE breezes. Botanized in the extensive gully rain forests about 1 1/2 miles N. of here on the Mukawa trail. Results hardly up to expectations. A fairly good representation of tree species in the upper layers, but undergrowth and ground plants few in species. More than 50% of the rain forest plants are sterile. Local natives say that the flowering time is in the wet season. More than half the rain forest species I have collected are in fruit alone. In big canopy trees, which are always good to come by, I have today cauliflorus Ficus 21814, Terminalia 21815, Myristica 21821, and Elaeocarpus 21826. Gave my three boys their first tryout at firing practice. None is a marksman as yet, although one likes to show off, doing military motions with a gun. Permits are required for shooting boys. Those we wish to carry firearms must be licensed. Peter O'Sullivan and Tony Skews, carrying knapsacks, walked up from Baniara this afternoon to spend the night at the mission. They were with us at sundown. O'Sullivan took command at Baniary last week. He and Skewes going on patrol through the back country in about a fortnight. Offers to do anything he can for us "big or small." For a start, he has offered us the use of Interpreter Diwowa, the man who gave us the good information on Maneau March 24. Sunday 4/5/53. Part of the day spent with Geoff, working on an order for two months supplies for the beginning of the Maneau phase of the trip. A boat, the "Betty Ann," arrived during the afternoon with mails from Samarai. Letters from home, and a copy of Tom Gilliard's splendidly illustrated article "New Guinea Rare Birds and Stone Age Men," published in the National Geographic for April. The Betty Ann is here to load 300 bags of copra and is expected to leave for Samarai before tomorrow night. A chance to get mails away.