To the Osborne house for dinner in the evening; the old homestead where Mrs. Osborne, Ron and Eric live; Hugh and his wife have a thatched house close by. Old house, built in 1910, full of possessions and not well kept. Very good meal, after which Hugh showed a lot of kodachromes he has made of this area recently, and I had a few to show. Mrs. Osborne evidently is no housekeeper, but looks well preserved for her 70 years and long residence in the country. Most people show deterioration after many years in the tropics. Eris, however, looks like an old New England Yankee. The boys are keen as can be, and living every day. Eric informed us that, about 1921, a man named Frost, collecting orchids for Saunders of St. Albens, stayed about three months at Abaleti. Collected some thou- sands of Dendrobium atrovioleceum, the "Rossel Island Orchid" which I have also found on Misima and Sudest). Apparently this was the only species taken, although a fine Phalaenopaea occurs there. Friday Sept. 28: Some heavy squally rain during the night. More between 7 and 8, and about 10:30 in the morning. Fine bright -- also steamy-- day after that. Mountains now (5:30 pm) quite clear and sharply outlined. Took a dinghy the Osbornes have loaned us and went up the river perhaps a mile to where it shallows over a gravelly rush. Water quite fresh but tidally influenced almost to my topmost point, and mangrove along the banks for the most part. Tied up dinghy opposite Naideta village (on west bank) and walked up stream about 1/4 mile. Floodbank, disturbed by cultivation long ago, and now by cattle which have run wild from the plantation (said to be only five head there now). Grassy, trampled, jalf boggy glades in the forest of the banks. Much Vatica in the forest of the narrow floodplain. An extensive, apparently flat basin beyond appeared to be occupied by second growth forest and bits of sago swamp. Collected 15 numbers, including a pink Dendrobium not seen before (photographed), and two other orchids. Probably the species previously collected on Sudest or Misima, or both islands. Nothing in traps last night. Twp bys out jacking, shot nothingTinker, out this morning for pigeons for the pot, got a Nyctimene geminus, and a large one, the first juvenile of this we have collected so far. Rus sees no difference between the Nyctimene we have been getting from the beginning. All but the mammal and plant boys opening up trail Lionel put in our stores order to Samarai this morning, also spoke on the radio- phone wit Reg Neate of Woodlark who is on his way to Australia in six weeks business trip. (It is reported that two mining engineers from A ustralia recently spent two months inspecting a big deposit of iron ore on Woodlark. They were in the wreck of the "Kari".)Neate offers us the use of a furnished house with plunge bath, refrige- rator, etc. Was visited late this afternoon by VC, Guadua, of the Saman group of hamlets somewhere west along the coast. Said he came in a whaleboat. Clean, little, tooth- less old man. (Our local VC is anything but clean) Told Guadua that that probably we would later sing out for carriers from his villages. His book gives "potential tabor" as 40 males and 35 females. Saturday Sept. 29: Rain after daylight kept me in camp until 8:30. Some light showers in morning. Fine afternoon. Botanized in a new cut trail going into the hills gin in about a northerly direction. from camp. Good rain forest, but with few big trees and an undergrowth very poor in species. Vatica common on the ridge. Also two slender feather palms(one fertile and collected, and a very beautiful fan palm which occurred mostly as a juvenile.