formation. Two bristly Rattus in traps, a big cuscus (P. orientalis) shot by Liklik. Rus considerably improved. Tuesday July 24: No rain last night. Was driven back from the field by a long, heavy shower beginning about 10 o'clock. Afternoon overcast; occasional short bursts of sunshine. Expecting good hunting, this morning I followed the track which has been cut to the top of Mt. Sisa above camp. Had a report of good forest up there. All I found was a great tangle of Gleichénia (called WEL) and other ferns with a few regrowth trees growing out of it. A few primary trees left left scattered on the narrow moun- tain crest. Great damage here by the hurricane of a few years ago. Lost an hour on the mountain, then followed the cut track down the NW slopes towards the Ara. Was picking up a sprinkling of sub-canopy trees, etc., when the rain started. Collected my third species of [illegible] Symplocos for the mountain; did not ex- pect three species of such a small group, and I don't have that number for any other genus from here except Selaginella. Nothing in traps last night; no jacking. Boys again searched unsuccessfully today for Pogonomys. While I was out this morning a native arrived with an aluminum billycan containing a dozen good eggs, a small bunch of bananas, and a few mandarins. Accompanying was a letter in fairly good English from Jean Grant, a half- or quarter-caste who is married to Siguie, the old man who showed us the tracks, and who lives with her brother, John Grant, at Panagamaora, on the foothills behind Bwagaia. She requested cash for the eggs, tobacco for the fruit. Sent her 5/- and three sticks. Nice of her to send fresh food such a long way. We seldom taste eggs. Egg powder I ordered specially upon arrival in the country in March has not arrived from Australia. Wednesday July 25: Another rainless night; a few small showers during the generally overcast day. Have had very little sun this week. Mammal speci- mens are beginning to mold on the pinning boards. Unwell with diarrhoea yesterday and today; so stayed in camp and dosed myself with diodoquin. Boys collected about a dozen species down the sloped past Brett's old camp. They collected the first Freycinetia of four species seen on the island; the butterfly boy brought in another. Have seen only Pandanus spp. - the dwarf already collected, and a big one which is sterile. Only two palms seen - the black palm (Caryota) and a small one, with unripe fruits, in the oak forest. Calamus appears to be absent. Five Macroglossus in the bat net down the road; a Petaurus jacked by Rus. Nothing in traps. Lionel returned from the coast in the middle of the morning. He has chosen a site for a lowland camp at Narian village at the mouth of Cooktown Creek. About 4 miles by road west of Bwagaia. Coral limestone country; forest up Cooktown Creek. A doubtful place for plants but it should be good for mammals, especially bats in the caves and the old mine workings of nearby Quartz Mountain. Government truck has been returned to running condition and is available to transport us from Bwagaia. Lionel spoke on the radiophone with the Catholic Mission at Nivani (near Sudest). They will probably be able to transport us across to Rossel. He also spoke with Ron Osborne of Rossel, who offers to take us across to Woodlark from Rossel. Thursday July 26: The wettest 24 hours we have had at this camp. Very heavy rain off and on from 11:30 last night to 5:30 this am. Light rain kept us in camp until 8; heavy intermittent showers began at 12;30 pm. SE weather. Collected down Ara Creek for a distance of probably a mile from where the track goes down the hill. Good bag of twenty numbers, but they took hunting for and I was 4½ hours in the field. Included were Buchanania, 2 Lyncopodium spp. (making 4 collected here so far, and L. cerrium has still to be gathered), and a very big robust Selaginella (4th sp.) from the sandy banks of the creek. No less than six Macroglossus in the net down the trail towards the lake mine; a Dobsonia in the net down the main road. Tinker, out unsuccessfully for pigeons for the pot, shot a Pteropus.