Sunday Dec. 2: Left Samarai on "Kedeluma" at 9:30 am and arrived Dawa Dawa about 1 o'clock. My first visit to Milne Bay. Had on board, going to pick up school children who had come in by Corsair for Christmas holidays, Ray Taylor, his half- caste wife (Lucy English) young Gordon English. Peter Sheekey's advance letter notwithstanding, there was no red carpet out for meat Dawa Dawa. The big house turned out to be the property of the village councillor, named ADELEI. Place about 30 by 20 feet the frame largely of Douglas fir and Australian hard- wood, the roof of galvanized iron. Adelei refused to vacate his house, saying he had no other. But the house has two room at each end separated by a wide breezeway and I have rented two-thirds of it for 30/ a week. A high price, but worth it to me. The only alternative was to go cruising around the bay in search of another locality. Situated on a narrow gravel spit on the east side of the mouth of the Dawa Dawa River (a 200-yard stream) The village is a mere hamlet of five houses. The gray gravel has been taken to Samarai in quantity for making concrete. On west side of the river is small coconut plantation owned by Was met by a young local Govt. Councillor ( ), who had been sent by MAHURU MARK. MH himself turned up in about an hour. Imposing middle-aged man in singlet, shorts and sandshoes, affecting a close-cropped moustache and a carved ebony walking stick. Monday Dec. 3: SE weather with qbout an hour of heavy rain in the middle of the afternoon. This is the dry season in the bay and little rain has fallen in some weeks. Finished camp rigging in AM and after lunch went about two miles up the river in a dinghey loaned me by Buntings (dunghy of fibre-glass). Botanical results were disappointing, though the excursion was spoiled by the rain. The hills or mountains rise steeply from the river for the most part and the covering of the lower paris slopes is ractically all second growth rain forest and gardens planted chiefly to taro. Taro and sweet potatoes are the staples here. Some smooth saga seen Mahuru Ma Mark visited me again today . Says much saga is made higher up the river in time of scarcity in the gardens. He also informs me that the logs for Ezod's former sawmill were cut high up the river (15 miles though my prior information was 5 or 6 miles). A long string of small rafts of saga of saga, and [illegible] single logs is tied up in the mouth of the river. Said to be owned by the Catholic Missionat SEDEIA and to have been there a long time. Am paying a penalty for not checking to the last detail a job done by natives. The typewriter was left behind when my cargo was unloaded from the KEDELUMA for packing. Tuesday Dec. 4: Strong SE wind producing a small surf on the steep weather side of the gravel spit. No rain or threat of rain. Botanized a mile or two east along the coast, with the mountain up a small running creek. Practically a blank for plants. A disappointing morning . I expected to get at least a good assortment of second growth species. Was in primary forest up the stream. Even when heavily shaded rocks of waterfalls were practically bare of the ferns which I expected to find. Very steep vally slopes. Saw where fair-sized logs had been cut on steep slopes. and brought down to the cost. Some natives now working at this in the area I visited this morning. Wed. Dec. 5: Weather more s to SW. Heavy showers from 3 to 10 pm. From 7 to 4:30 on an excursion up the river by dinghy. Went as dar as the dinghey could be taken, a distance of 5-6 miles, by the windings of the river, pulling the boat up rapids and rowing on deep water. All this for a miserable total of nine plant numbers.