(340) 341 to be unsafe by my informants; but that is foreign territory to these folk and such reports are always questionable. Arorla has been visited once by a govt. patrol that brought rice around to these districts which were short of food after the punitive expedition withdrew. In apprehend- ing the natives concerned in the Sinerango affair the police killed pigs and destroyed gardens wherever they saw fit. Food production has not yet come back to normal, taro especially lacking. Bubomai insisted on taking a gun out to show me how well he could shoot but the consistent rain made collecting impossible. The terrane hereabouts is very poor for birds on account of the abundant secondary growth. Arorla is on a hilltop at an altitude of 2700 feet (Aneroid) and one must go two or three miles to find the true forest country. I am kept well supplied with potatoes for food. No specimens brought in. Rainy, overcast weather continues. March 8 Natives have been reluctant to offer themselves as carriers. Charlie Bubomai had 9 this morning. Decided to leave since we may be able to pick some up on the way back. We left Arorla at 8 A.M. and descended to Kwairafa flats where potatoes were dug for the journey. All hands had a bath in the stream and then up creek bottoms and divergent spurs reaching a small village which contributed two carriers. Continued on through old village sites and stopped at a house at the foot of the hills that give rise to the Kwairakwa on the other side. Now about 3 P.M. so we called a halt. I went out hunting and got a phalanger, a large fruit- bat, and a common pigeon which I cooked for supper. In the villages passed through I met with no hostility. Practically all the women and the old men go about wholly naked and quite uncon- cerned. There was no display of weapons after the first episode of Aror- la; the govt. has recently destroyed most of the spears, clubs, bows & ar- rows, etc. I am sure we shall have no difficulty with the natives of this district other than the question of temperament in bargaining and other minor things. I skinned the phalanger before making my usual meal of potatoes, with part of a pigeon as well. Fine weather until after 4 P.M. when it commenced to rain. March 9 Prepared the fruit-bat this morning before breakfast. We were on the road by 9 o'clock, crossing a small tributary of the Kwairafa short- ly after. Then up over the watershed by a different trail from the one I used coming over. Here I shot two crested pigeons (Turcaena crassirostris) and the widely-distributed Solomon cuckoo (Cacomantis). We reached the Kwairiekwa at an elevation of 1500 feet having crossed the range higher up the river than before. Here we connected with a party of eight from Toho, additional carriers, which was a welcome surprise. Arrived in the camp at Erigomano village by 4:30. Coultas and Eyerdam much pleased with the prospects having found very little in this district. Many interesting insects and land shells have been collected but no new species of birds since this zone is of lowland elevation. I fed the carriers and had them quartered in a local house; then assisted in preparing skins until 9 P.M. Weather fine throughout. March 10 Coultas left for Su-u at 6:30 taking all specimens collected up to date in this camp. He is to bring back additional rice, tobacco, ammun- tion, etc., and several of the Arorla carriers will wait here to take the stuff on. Local boys accompany him to the coast. Four hunters out shooting with poor results. Nothing new brought in; however, many series of common species are well filled.