hole in tall forest of the sandy alluvial flats of a creek of muddy water (said to have been fouled recently by a landslide somewhere in the mountains). Forest of neighboring foothills appeared to be all secondary. No place for us. Walai Ck. at Fagululu. Most of the track to Fagululu passed through the southern part of the thermal area of Seymour Bay. A series of three small flat valleys, rising in smoking rocky low hills to the south, and separated by Melaleuca sananna -forest ridges . The central part of the first flat contained an area of several acres raised in small cones of mathor, crack- ed blisters, of yellow sulphur. Pur guide pointed out a small hole where someone re- cent had put a foot through the surface. Ground reverberated under our tread; a murmur- ing and low rumbling sound down underneath. Sulphur said to have been here pre-war for use at the Misima goldmines. The next two valleys held boiling mud springs and bubbling pools. In a narrow hollow in the ridges just past the first flat was a little lake of greenish water said to be salty. In the biggest mud spring seen the gray, boiling mass plopped about a foot above the surface. A woman is said to have committed suicide by jumping into this cauldron A strong smell of sulphur vapor in all the thermal area. Much obsidian on some of the ridges. From Fagululu I sent a note to Rus to have the boys start unloading our cargo from the Kedeluma. Iamelele #1 is a good camp site, but offers both rain forest and savanna forest for trapping and hunting, but is unattractive botanically. Far from satisfied with it, I thought it wise to examine an alternative locality. This was Iewata Barracks, near Magegia village, on the NW part of the bay. Stopped the unloading and proceeded to the boat. A walk along the gov't. track which encircles the bay showed better rain forest than at Iamelele, but a swampy coast on which the dilapi- dated and leaky resthouse and police barracks; the locality too distant from approaches to the mountains There was nothing for it but Iamelele. The local village policeman had sent out messengers to the seven communities in his charge, and sounded the kipi (conch shell) to summon the people from their gardens. By about 5:50 all our belongings were at the resthouse; women and small boys taking part in the transport, and all seeming to be happy about the outing and the chance to view strangers (we were soon known as Americans), Adult carriers paid 4 sticks of tobacco small boys 1 stick. All carriers made at least two or three trips from beach to resthouse. Tuesday May 22: Hot day with little breeze in our confined clearing. SE cloud drift; A few scuds of rain in early afternoon. Thought I heard distant thund- er twice as I lay awake before daylight. Think now it was ground rumbles of the thermal region. All boys rugging camp: a work fly and tables, two small-houses, cook's shack. Have much of the bulk cargo stored on logs under the resthouse. Walked up the gov't. track perhaps 3/4 mile to where it crossed our waterplace creek. Tall second growth rain forest. Creek wide and bouldery there a nd shows evidence of recent violent flooding (the tail end of a cyclone struck neighboring Goodenough Island about 10 weeks ago and reportedly washed out many native gardens, and all the SE coast of the mainland had heavy weather). A trickle of warm water in a small feeder stream ¼ mile from camp. The creek water makes dark colored tea but does not taste of sulphur; have not detected any smell of the fumaroles in camp. A messenger arrived Mapamoiva with a package of living small bats from Crosby; package yet to be opened. The bats, and two Petaurus now caged by Crosby, taken from holes in a dead coconut tree at Crosby's house. Some shots fired at bats in camp by Rus last evening; no results. Traps put out this afternoon. Wed. May 25: Hot; a threat of rain in early afternoon. A westerly change of breeze brought a strong smell of sulphur fumes into camp in afternoon