westernmost island of the Egum Group. A poor anchorage on coral; we had out 1½ shackles of chain. A light northeaster blowing. Good passage. All hands ashore to stretch legs, drink coconut milk, and shoot pigeons for supper. The island only a few acres in extent. Rough, eroded coral, elevated less than 10 feet, and forested with a patch of coconuts, and a sandy little beach at the northwest end. Pigeons, towards evening, came off in fair numbers from Yanaba, largest island of this shell group, and of slightly coral, too. The beautiful little white fairy term there in plenty, also a dark brown tern with white crown, which had laid a few eggs on a bed of pig-face wood half wet by spray. Left the Egums at 4:15 am on the 25th and had a good run across to Saimtaitai, on Normanby Island, where we tied up to the small wharf at 2:20 pm. Decided to call in there at the expense of an extra day's charter, to try at night got the wallaby which inhabits grasslands a mile or two to the south of the plantation. I spent the evening with Bill Gray, the manager and sole white man there, while Rus and Lionel and two boys hunted about sundawn and then jacked unsuccessfully for the wallaby. Lionel saw one, which he describes as small and dark, and probably a form of the sand wallaby (Protemnodon agilis) Sawaitaitai has 700 bearing acres. Gray has been there less than a year (since March). A man of 56 with one leg crippled by a Japanese bullet in the last war. Still mourning his second wife, who died early in 1955; his first wife cleared out with an American soldier, Left Sawaitaitai 2t 3:05 am on the 26th and reached Samarai, via the south end of Normanby, at 2:20 PM. Light SE still blowing; good passage. We hoped to unload im- mediately after arrival, but there was no wharf space. The 10,000 ton Maybank loading copra and a number of small ships in port, I am staying with Dusty Miller; Rus is at the guesthouse. Tuesday Nov. 27: After the cargo was unloaded and sorted, I went to the District Office to inquire about Milne Bay and other near parts of the mainland coast. Could get very little information there. This, however, was available from E.C. ("Speed") Graham, officer in charge of native cooperatives. There are good conditions and rest- houses at Ramaga and Dawa dawa in Milne Bay. I have decided to work at the latter place until Christmas. Lionel put in an order for stores for himself and Rus and six boys at the Trobriands. Samarai hot and dry; very little rain lately, as on Normanby and Woodlark. The Lae coast is reported to be having the driest season on record. There is activity here in shipping scrap steel, [illegible] to Japan from the old military installations in Milne Bay. The Japs are paying 24 pounds a ton delivered on the wharf at Samarai. Arrived by the Qantas plane from Australia this morning Reg (R.G.) and Mrs. Neate of Woodlark. Accompanying them is a consulting engineer fresh from Japan by air to inspect and report on Neate's iron and copper shows, The man is in the employ of the Mitsubishi interests in Australia who has been with this company for 27 years. There is a report in circulation (Dusty Miller has it from District Commissioner Timperley) that that Cuthbert's old mine on Misima is to be reopened. Wed. Nov. 28: Hot dry day but with a light SE breeze. Sky hazy. This is late in the year for this kind of weather in Samarai. Finished my packing and am about ready to depart for Milne Cay. A boat leaves for there at noon tomorrow. Would prefer if possible to go a day later, for due to arrive in Samarai from Rabaul tomorrow is Dr. Bill Smyth who is going to Mapamoiva on Fergussoon Island to continue his anthropological studies.