(18) I got a long communication if to Dr. Murphy and another to Dr. Sanford. Most of my personal correspondence suffered. Shipped birds insured both by freight and mail; also sent in notes and color sketches. May 31- Entered into adjustments with D'P's - Mr. Booth very affable he cause I consented to take the California fruit. It is in 22lb. tons - too large for his trade. Secured credit for all our cargo that has been well- fully sold and finished paying a bill of a couple of pounds. This include a vast amount of clothes (shirts & trousers made to order for the ship chest) and Keds, over half which I returned. A bill of something like 150 pounds remains in Mr. Beck's account. I have neither funds, instruction, or inten- tion of paying this, so I told the gentleman to send it to Beck in Sydney. Secured a fairly good motion picture camera from Booth who had pur- chased it for a client & then refused delivery because of incessant debts. The lens is very keen & the rest should do some decent work. Very cheap with 500 ft. of film. The magazine holds 100 feet. I am paying for it until I feel it is worth the price to AMNH. I shall, however, charge any film I get in the future. June 1- We took a Malaita boy named Paul as a general hand - casual labor a. for a Tulagi anyway. From now on David, Charlie and I - possibly Teresa will do the shooting with Phelps, who is fast learning as additional bird-striker. Finally have up at 2 P.M., having left the final mail for the SS Maralau which leaves the end of the week. This makes three mails in all - The Aletaram, the Calumba yesterday and the Maranbah to follow. Set all sail and butted into some heavy Easterly weather - making for Ferguson Passage to enter the Rutijana Lagoon. No sea birds sighted - weather too rough for collecting any how. and 2- lay to under fore & staysails in storm of swift squalls & heavy seas. Could not get the engine started to put us inside Ferguson Passage and so let her slip through Blackett Strait using power when the bridge fell. A choice for the night off the entrance to Hathom Sound. June 3. Afore up at 6 AM and used sails until noon when we started the engine and kept her off the land until 1 o'clock. Tacked all afternoon and sight to best advantage. Saw terns and a few shearwaters, but they were moving fast and it was too late in the day to lower the boat. June 4. Started engine at 6:30 A.M., and steered for Lever Harbor where we anchored at 9 o'clock in 15 fathoms. David, Charlie, and I landed for the day. A Methodist villager is situated on the S. shore and we found some figs leading in to gardens where they inevitably petered out. However there are a few streams which can be followed with ease. Charlie brought in two large gray birds - a new species to me. David said he same occured on Guadalcanal. He went out to the village bringing back incident- ally a dozen eggs and the report of having seen a small blue salt-settin knight fisher with white band around the throat also represented on Guadalca- al. This is also unknown to my experience. There is variation in the tailed