Sunday, June 3: Overcast morning; heavy rain most of afternoon, ceasing toward dark. An unpromising outlook for our transport move in the morning. This is the fourth day of bad weather in a row. Everything but our swag and the cook's box and pots and pans is packed tonight. Including 150 lbs of rice for the road there will be 47 car- rier mads, 37 of which will be going on from Agamoia. Lionel leaves early in the morning for Mapamoiva and I will take over the trans- port man' duties. Today Rus finds himself practically out of flashlight batteries (only 10 new ones on hand for four weeks of field work remaining to be done on the is- land). Here at Lamelele we are in a radio reception blank spot for the Samarai trans- mitting station. We have no information for boats or planes. Therefore if the mammal department is to function, Lionel must do the 6-hour walk to Mapamoiva, get on the radiophone to Samarai, then walk down the south coast 6-7 hours to Alilulua and from there climb the mountains to our proposed camp. If next week is forthnightly plane week for Esa'ala, the batteries can be flown there Tuesday and we can send a messenger (3-4 days and a ferry trip across Dawson Strait) for them. There might be a boat coming in this direction. Tomorrow will tell. Mails will go out to Mapamoiva in the mor- ning, my corrected galley included. Monday June 4: Rus and I left Lamelele at 9:15 AM with 36 carriers, arrived AGAMEIWA 1:10PM. A very hard walk. Fortunately the weather held fine. Had to leave 11 loads at Lamelele . Shortage of carriers. Carriers were from Saibutu (9) and Lamelele #1 and #2. VC from Saibutu & Lamelele #2. The Saibutu Councillor who went with Lionel to Mailolo track and also on his exploration of last week. Reached Fagululu 10:10; very hot over the thermal area followed alluvial flats through tall forest; were carried across 3-4 small streams still running strongly from yesterday's rain; track muddy, under water in some places. In 20-30 minutes from Fagululu entered fine tall forest on rising ground; many clean dipterocarps; ground stony as at WAIKAIUNA. At 11:25 rested at the hill stream soon after passing an area of Imperate and Melaleuca savanna. First hard going followed this. At 12:25 came to the crest of a narrow ridge at a place where old coconut palms marked the site of a former village, fine view of Lake Lavu and the Amplette off the North coast (photos); boys climbed for drinking water - very welcome; altitude 200 m. The lake shown on the 1-mile map is actually an island in the lake. Small islands of grassy vegetation afloat in the lake; edges marshy. Reached NIUBULA 2:05; lunch stop to 3 (many carriers did not arrive until nearly 3 o'clock); perhaps half dozen houses, good rest house and barracks; 270 m. and the high point on road. Left NIUBULA 3:05 Hamlet of LEGAMAGAMA; 3-4 abandoned houses, 680 m. 3:40. Most of the distance through very steep narrow ridges; much oak in tall primary forest much obsidian. through Dropped down to the primary forest to LILAI Creek, 160 m., at 3:55. hamlet on low eastern bank. Growing here was a young Araucaria, ca. 30 ft. high, said to have been washed down as a seedling by a flood. AGAMCIA a village of about a dozen small houses and a dilapidated mission church (Methodist). Good rest house but small for our needs as collecting camp. Very friend- ly people. A VC and several councillors, also 3-4 older men that one often sees. The women were busy cooking food when we arrived and towards evening brought 22 earthen pots of taro and several potatoes: paid the government price asked, stick per pot. Enough food for our 36 carriers, & "company" boys and hangers on for supper and break- fast. Alt. 210 m. Sent Tinker to shoot a wallaby for the carriers; saw three, got none. This AM at 6:45 Lionel, with GALUWINA carrying a light swag, left for Mapamoiva.