161 WED. 10 JUNE 1953 204 TOP. CAMP. DAVID CAME BACK AT 8:30 WITH HIS BEECH FOREST (NOTHORAGUS) CATCH. A VERY DARK MELOMYS AND SEVERAL GRAY- BELLIED RATTUS. AMONG THE SILELES SPECIMENS WAS A PALE MELOMYS (PARTIAL ALBINO) - HAD BROWN NOT PINK EYES. THOUGHT IT WAS SOMETHING DIFFERENT AT FIRST. COLOR MUTATION VERY SIMILAR TO Mus I CAUGHT ON CAPE HATTERAS. I HAD 1 LARGE MELOMYS IN MY TRAP LINE. TOTAL OF 11 FOR THE DAY. THIS P.M. DAVID WENT OUT LOOKING IN TREE HOLES & CAME BACK WITH 6 POGONOMYS ! TOO LATE TO MEASURE SKIN. SO, I HAVE A GOOD START ON TOMORROW. WE ARE LUCKY TO GET SOME OF THESE LITTLE TREE CLIMBING RATS BECAUSE THIS SPECIES HAS NOT TRAPPED. A BRIGHT DAY WITH ONLY AN OCCASIONAL CLOUD DRIFTING INTO OUR POCKET. UNPINNED MT. MANEAU SPECIMENS TODAY. ANOTHER DAY OR TWO WILL SEE MY TOTAL REACH 700 FOR TRIP TOVER 200 TOT CAMP. A BLACK BIRD (ABOUT SIZE OF ROBIN) WITH VIVID YELLOW ON HEAD (LOOKED LIKE BLACK EYE STREAKS ALSO). GEOFF HAD ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL MOTH IN TRAP THIS MORNING - GREEN WITH SCOLLOPED DESIGN. 9:30 P.M. HAVE JUST COME IN FROM A FRUSTRATING EVENING OF HECKING. FIRST I WALKED WITHIN A FEW FEET OF A WALLABY WITHOUT SEEING HIM UNTIL HE JUMPED INTO THE SCRUB. THEN ON 3 OCCASIONS I HEARD THE SOFT HIGH-PITCHED GRUNTING OF WHAT I AM SURE ARE GIANT RATS. TWICE I COULD HEAR THEM CHEWING ON WILD FIGS THAT HAD FALLEN TO THE GROUND. ONCE I SAW ONE RUNNING THRU THE UNDERGROWTH. NO CHANCE FOR A SHOT. NO RING TAILS TONIGHT. DAVID WAS OUT EARLIER + BROUGHT IN A WALLABY. THIS MAKES OUR 100TH MARSUPIAL FOR THE TRIP (ABOUT 15% OF MY TOTAL). GEOFF HAS A LIGHT TRAP IN MY TENT TO NIGHT AND IS SITTING IN HERE READING. HAVE SOME WORK TO DO IN MY NOTEBOOK.