(49) who had seen any thing extraordinary.Hicks and I ran into a flock of cockatoos and we shot five;as each one was shot,the others would circle around screaming angrily and soon return to offer a perfect target.I shot three starlings and one large blue butterfly with a yellow body. I collected several lizards- one brown,another green with grey hind legs, and another light brown with silver stripes.I took a couple of lorngi- corn beetles ;the Doctor has collected a number as well as other insects. Mr.Beck visited Stirling I.,this afternoon.When we got aboard the natives again had the ship,this time with all manner of live specimens of frog, snake,possum.The snake,a white one with brown markings struck the Doctor when he was unpacking it;fortunately it proved non-venomous.There were eight possums,all alive and with the number of flying-foxes taken from the coconuts behind the village will make a nice series of mammals taken from Mono.This material has somewhat balanced the lack of birds.At 8 PM we hove up anchor and stood out NW for the Shortlands. December 8 The mammal dept.,was busy until 3 o'clock.After lunch Mr.Beck and G.R.,went ashore on a small island,the easternmost of the Shortland group on the chart;it is unnamed and lies about 11 miles south of Bou- gainville on approximately the 7th parallel of longitude.It is \frac{1}{2} mile long and not over 200 yards wide,sandy,covered with mangroves,low bush, coconuts,and a few high trees;a large blue lagoon lies on one side sur- rounded by a barrier reef.About 20 birds were collected- the ashy-headed flycatcher,thickheads,small eagle-hawk,white-headed kingfisher,and blue- headed parrot.Mr.Beck shot two lesser noddies while returning to the ship.The reef harbors a number of terns of various species,the noddy be- ing the most common.I did very little after the possum session on account of some new infections that have developed on my feet from innocent-look- ing mosquito bites. December 9 Stood out early for another small island to the westward,the next in line toward Shortland I.,itself;anchor was dropped inside the reef at 9 A.M. and Mr.Beck and G.R.,again went ashore.My feet are still not so good;I stayed aboard and took the hide off the eagle-hawk and a kingfisher.A brief shower early this morning is the first rain we have seen in ten days.Birds were plentiful- ashy-headed flycatcher,thickhead, common white-breasted flycatcher,fantails in abundance,cockatoos,green and red parrots,blue-headed parquets,reef herons of the blue order- these were the birds collected;sea birds- terns of at least three or four species are always passing and the big plover is frequently heard. Momulufu is the name of the island which is a mile and a half long and \frac{1}{2} mile wide;a small grove of coconuts is at one end.The island itself is mostly coral.There is a difference of four feet in the tide now that the moon has justed waxed to its fullest.One can walk from Momulufu to two other little islets at low tide. December 10 G.R.,and I went over to Momulufu and Mr.Beck to Aikiki I. Small birds,the fantail in particular,can be summoned by calling al- most anywhere;flycatchers and thickheads are encountered in small flocks. I heard the long-tailed dove call and saw a female graybird.I missed two cinch shots on ground doves and got a cockatoo;this specimen showed a brown eye instead of the usual orange.They differ this way on the same island.The black-crowned(yellow bib)parquet of the larger size is pre- sent;I was unable to shoot one.Starlings are abundant;I collected seve- ral.All these small islands recently visited have an abundance of gekos They are found around the shore under the bark of dead logs;here they