Fair amount of mandiocas, few bananas and papaws. We have bought from the natives here pumpkins, sweet potatoes and sweet potatoe tops. The forest, very poor at first, improves in composition, height and timber volume with the altitude and distance from the coast. A Casuarine perhaps the most interesting tree collected; common and reaching a large size on the ridge crest I followed. Four R. ruber in traps last night; one Petaurus shot by Lionel, a Pteropus at dusk by Rus. There arrived here yesterday the "Murus", a trochus-shelling sloop with two dinghies and a complement of at least 16. At least a third of these people are hengers-on. A usual pattern when the running of a vessel is in the hands of a native. Yesterday's take was 146 shells. The shells are boiled when fresh in a 50 gallon drum with a side cut out of it to make a trough. Water brought to a boiling surge three times; longer cooking spoils the shell. The dead animal said to shake out easily; it is eaten at times by the crews; said to be tough. We have hired a small outrigger canoe for use in the harbor, Lionel has tried line fishing, without success, Great schools of sardines enter the harbord and cruise near the shores, Bought a meal of them a day or two ago; very good, and not difficult eating. Wed. Sept 12: Fine clear morning; a succession of showers, some heavy, in afternoon. Wind SE. Botanized up Bambuso Creek about 3/4 mile or so to where it comes out of the hills in an attractive little valley of alluvial soil partly under gardens now and all formerly cultivated. Needed only a few plants to use up all my driers. Gusty wind, swirling air currents in all directions in our preparation fly, have greatly lowered the efficiency of my drying equipment, Today I had four walls of plaited sage leaf put around the drier maxx units. Several Pteropus and Petaurus shot last night by Lionel, Rus and Tinker; 5 Rattus ruber in traps. Learned that there is susticion amongst the natives that we are collecting the flesh of mammals to go into tins of meat. They don't mind our putting cuscus and flying foxes in, but they object to rats, All are invited to see just what we do. This evening about dusk a councillor and nine men arrived from Rewa Bay, on the south side of the island, wanting to carry for us. Gave them a stick of tobacco each and rice for two meals. Our carrying for Sudest is over. Thursday Sept. 13: Some showers on the hills, none on the coast. Rather strong SE wind in the morning, little wind in afternoon. Went up Rambuso Creek perhaps 1½ miles, to where it forks. Followed the right hand or main branch a little was through primary forest, when it became gorgy and I sent the boys on. Few results worth while. A striking feature was one cleared slope crowded with fine large treeferns. Have seen nothing like it on the expedition. Very tall with clean gray stems. Again two R. ruber in traps. Several silasilas and flying foxes jacked by Rus and Lionel. Lionel stayed out until 11:30 and also got a cuscus. We have very few cuscus for this island. There are reports that native cats (Satanellus) take village fowls; several sets of steel traps have been out several nights now. We have not taken a Satanellus on the expedition. Since leaving Misima we have been told (by Cellanan) that they were common marauders of the chicken yard at Ewaiboga (?) Plantation on the east end of the island.