(7) ington Jr.,the hotel-keeper's son took me on a guano hunt;the result was no guanoes but a brown pigeon and one of the numer- ous red parrots that inhabit the coconut trees,both badly shat- tered but serviceable for skinning practice.Also collected a few insects. Mr.Robinson,another plantation manager came in from somewhere on Malaita with no news of the"France".Mr.Johnson,the genial butcher from Yorkshire invites us shooting with him day after to-morrow and in addition promises ice cream.This life o of expectation is turning us into"softies".This was an evening for the centipedes again. September 15 Collected both morning and afternoon.Mr.Robinson invites us to spend a week-end at Berande,Guadalcanal and we accept;it will be an opportunity to visit the island and do dome collecting as well.Mr.Lazarus,termed"the wandering Jew", being the only Jewish recruiter in the group,sailed into port and came up to the hotel.He had many yarns and much profanity. It seems he has been having hard luck on Malaita."Tony"Olsen in the schooner"Myopa"also turned up.We set out for Berande at midnight in a calm sea. September 16 A six o'clock breakfast was had from the stove of Mrs.Dumfy(or Duffy),probably the only widow who lives by her- sel on Guadalcanal- a half caste.By noon we were at Berande. After kai-kai we were treated to a ride about the plantation, learning thereby the process of copra.This was once the habi- tat of Jack London and Martin Johnson.On either side of the manager's house is a fresh water river one of which is suppos- ed to have been explored by Mr.London.Apparently this whole region is contained in"Adventure".Gavutu is mentioned as the place where they drink between drinks.And there is nothing mythical about South Sea imbibing.Our host brought back a cop- ous supply and all hands were piped to consume it as rapidly as possible.That the practice of intermittent excess in drink- ing is a principal cause of fever and chronic apathy cannot be doubted.Two men without much aid from us consumed over a case of beer this evening.Mosquitoes were abundantly provided. September 17 Both of us collected along the shore and in among the palms and rubber trees.This Saturday was a great occasion for the native labor;a bullock(bullimacow)was killed and kai- kaid.Each boy has to cut three bags of copra per day and the week ends on Saturday noon.There are 50 boys on this planta- tion and they are treated like dogs;the manager says they have absolutely no sense of gratitude.The house boys and the"cookl" receive the worst of the lot. In the evening men arrived from up and down the coast including old Masher,who has been in the Solomons 23 years,the first man on the beach at Yandina,Cape Marsh,and Mr. Wilson,a high police official with 16 carriers out after the accomplices in a recent wholesale murder of police boys.I don't remember when I have seen more drinking. September 18 Collected as much as the heat and mosquitoes would permit.As on Florida the palms are haunted by cockatoos and