Wednesday 4/22/53: Calm early morning followed by strong southeaster, which brought squally showers after about three PM. Accompanied by Hoogland, climbed to the top of the 500 ft. hill behind camp - the highest point in the neighborhood. Good view up the Ohawabero valley to about the position of Podago village. Much grassland there, but I doubt if any of the grassland in sight is a primary condition. Relics in gullies indicate a formerly rain forested condition. Perhaps in the not-so-long-ago a fairly numerous population lived inland, and has since for the most part moved to the coast. Ophiurus ? 22016 is mixed in quantity with the dominant Imperata of the higher grassy hills and spurs behind Menapi. Rottboellia ? 22015, 2 m or more talll, forms dense stands, very hard to push through, about the forest edges. Heteropogon contortus takes possession on the dry crests of ridges. Several interesting Convulaceae occur as very slender grass-twiners; 22012 with white, 22013 within inconspicuous small pink, and 22019 with pale yellow flowers. Flowering and fruiting material collected of a very large Piptadenia-like tree (22010) characteristic of the ridge rain forests. Serious boy trouble today. Ken Wymn's personal boy David, who has been on loan to Van and doing good work in hunting and skinning objected to going with Ken on an overnight excursion to the valley of the Ararara River to trap and shoot mammals. David I'm afraid has been made too much of by Van, and it has gone to his head. Ken was most generous in loaning his boy to Van. Naturally, after employing David for 5 years and thinking highly of him, and giving him better treatment than most boys get, Ken has wished to retain rights of guidance and authority over him. This he has done by borrowing the boy back for odd jobs. He has also been trying to advise Van on the handling of boys in general. But Van, after the style of most newcomers to the tropics has been thoroughly wrapped up in David. The result is that, for the time being at least, Van has no David. Ken, after a calm talk to David in my presence, fired him. I cannot employ him. There is the morale of the rest of the boys to think of. So Ken took another boy on his mammal hunt, and David is out of a job. The thing will probably blow over in a day or so. Meantime, both Van and David will have to amend their attitudes. Thursday 4/23/53: Rain ended early last night. Calm today until about noon. Then boisterous southeaster and sporadic light showers. Ken returned about last midnight, wet and tired, and without a mammal to show for his excursion. Has gone out again tonight, taking three boys, two jacklights, and three guns. One of tonight's hunters is the errant David. He is back in the fold, under tighter discipline I hope. Collected this morning in Sago swamps and adjacent moist ground back of Spillers plantation more plants than I have been able to catalogue and prepare for drying. Planchonia 22025, a common big tree of alluvial flats, included in the bag. Most of the plants herbaceous among them nine sedges.