over for a game of bridge. But I would never shoot them. We had a very rotten day. We got one more thrush and a few small birds before a violent thunderstorm put an end to all activities. Ona and I huddled up close together under a leaf shelter and listened to the explosions of the storm. They began like the scratching of a victrola needle and ended up in a great roaring cannonade. I have always been frightened of thunderstorms and this one gave me no particular plea- sure. Ona was far braver about it than I was, and man- aged to muster up a nervous smile or two whenever a crash came closer to us than usual. It rained as hard as it is mechanically possible for it to rain, the water coming down in fat solid columns. It kept up so long we were forced to make the descent in the midst of it and had some difficulty slipping and sliding down the trail. When I unwrapped the birds I had shot they re- sembled a species of hairy fish. January 27th. This morning just after Hamlin left with Wagga for the mountain, our carriers came back from Kieta with a very pleasant surprise. They had with them a bag of mail. I was for shouting to Hamlin to come back but he had gone too far. The mail had come up through the British Solomons and was really an accident. It had been brought over from Faisi on the cutter "Kokopo" after the"Mataram" had dropped it off. Two months ago we wireessed the