no good but the conductor did not seem to mind if we did ride along. The dinners at the Australia are excellent.We get our breakfasts with beds,eat very light lunches outside wherever we happen to be,and order plenty in the evening.This night we saw the first great venture of the Australasian Pictures Inc., "For the Term of His Natural Life",the scenario based on the novel by Marcus Clarke.The cold air here at night makes for fine sleeping. August 21 Sunday and inevitably a dull day in theory.We visited the Zoo and were well entertained.The birds are excellent,partic- ularly inland aquatic species- herons,cranes,storks,and king- fishers.Tropical birds well represented.The bower bird is very interesting,posessing a strange call and eccentric habits. There were birds of paradise from New Guinea and birds of prey from the interior of Australia.Marsupials,of course,and the Tasmanian devil,the only mammal in this part of the world that does not carry its young in a pouch.Here,too,the object of their pride is the American bison.The Zoo itself is located on a hillside across the harbor from the city;somewhat like the Auckland institution,the exhibitions are arranged in a terrace formation,and the carnivores in dens behind ditches so that one does not have to look at them through bars.In this they are better than our American zoos,but not in variety of selec- tion.The return ride in the ferry gave us a fine view of H.M.S. Sydney,the conqueror of the Emden,which is anchored in the har- bor.This evening we sent a wireless message to Mr.Beck at Tu- lagi. August 22 Weather continues clear and cool.Yesterday afternoon we visited the Heads and Watson's Bay.Application for permis- sion to go to the Solomons revealed the fact that we must first be cleared by the Internal Revenue Department.And since I have a visa for Australia only I must have another picture taken of my face.Visited an art gallery and the Library. August 23 A second visit to the Zoo gave us more of an insight into the bird collection,which is even larger than we judged. The Aquarium was open and is stocked with native fish from the vicinity of Sydney harbor.Quite a large tank full of sharks.To- day we paid for our passage and secured the necessary signa-tures from the tax office that enabled the passport dept.to give us visas.To date we have attended two dramatic offerings, "The Road to Rome"and"The Ringer". August 24 Inspected the Maloja with a fellow passenger from the AorangI who sails on her to-morrow from Woolloomooloo(name of a wharf).This man,Dr.Eccles,is a charming old fellow and resides in Cornwall near the sea.Of late I have been seeing a good bit of a dentist. August 25 G.R.off for the Jenolan Caves,a mountain resort,at 9 A.M.I again tried a few chemists for Plasmochin without suc- cess.Since I had to purchase something I got some knives and