Tuesday, May 15: Another hot dry day but more cloud and late in morning a threat of rainfrom dark clouds which built up over the mountains. Breeze NE to NW. Followed the easternmost govt. road to the Lebudown River, thence up the stream a bit (bed dry there), then down along the stream to the coast. Not far below the east road the water of the river comes to the surface again in many small running channels in a swampy area overrun with Pandanus Copelendi and perhaps another pandan. We cut track for about a mile, then made north away from the stream and found a faint path leading toward the coast along the edge of the hills. This line of hills steep.to. Number of native gardens on its lower slopes, some being cleared and fenced, others with well grown crops [illegible] if taro cassava and bananas. Small garden houses at these gardens. The owners seem to sleep on a platform underneath, and use the house for storage. Met one middleaged man, his flat-breasted and two children. Friendly, and the man spoke good pidgin English. At that point we were close to the coast and the western govt. road which we followed back to camp. A long morning for very little of interest in plants. A Pailotum collected in the swamp forest. A big day for mammals, with about 15 specimens all told. Rus last night jacked a Uromys (3rd for the collection), a Pteropus and a cuscus. Lionel and his boy, taking a snack to the Lebudowa along my cut track, jacked along the stream after dark for three more cuscus. Sipoma, the spare boy, out this morning, found a hollow tree which yielded five Petaurus and four Pogonomys. Traps set by Lionel on the Lebudowa yielded nothing. He started up a small bandicoot in the bed of the river but could not get a shot in the long grass of that particular spot. Wed. May 16: Weather as for the past several days except for a small shower between noon and on and one o'clock. The first rain for nine days, Rain fall here for April was 17.65 inches, for may to date, 1.36 inches. Botanized on some of the old timber-hauling trails close to camp and got several good plants. One can see into the tree-tops where there are openings in the forest; otherwise, botanical collecting in these very tall rain forests will be pretty hopeless. First bandicoot shot by Lionel last night, plus a cus-cus (I think there may be two cuscus species here) and a Petaurus. Two spiny brown rats in traps--one in traps set by Lionel over in the Lebudowa. The bandicoot looks Edhymipera, and its tender skin gave the usual trouble on the skinning table. Three small ships anchored off Waikaiuna this PM. The Methodist Mission boat from East Cape here for electrical repairs by Izod, and collecting gravel. BP's Govilon, 1/c Noel Alexander, on a recruiting trip and five days out of Nuatutu with Mrs. Hancock on board (in here to pick up sawmill wastes as firewood); and Jack Wilkinson's trading, boat, visiting stetions in Sewa Bay and along the coast. Last Lionel's brother Ernie dropped in from his trading post at Annie's Inlet on the mainland. He brought the news that Clem Rich, after two weeks on the drunk in Samarai, ending in the horrors in the hospital, has been fired from Doini Plantation by Steamships Trading Co. And a few days ago the great U.S. Loafmaster (?) cargo plane, carrying spare parts for the flight of five Canberra jet bombers on the way to the States, got lost and circled over Samarai to get a position. Clear weather. The locals are puzzled oxxx about the navigating techniques involved. Had a visit in the evening from Norman Izod and Jack Wilkinson. The latter came to the territory with his father and brother Lance to work for missfather Cuthbert of the Misima Mines. Served in the war as a medical assistant (with ANGAU?) and was associated with with Dr. Vernon on the Yokoda Trail. Married to a half-caste (fide Lionel). Writes to the PIM. Has a good stock of humorous stories of the Territory. Told one about the late Teddy Mears of the "Elevala" on a secret agree with a henpecked district offi- cer, drinking ink in the dark and thinking next day he had blackwater fever. Went into hospital for treatment (Samarai). Finished the ink and station business brought to a standstill.