Wednesday 17 June 1953 (cont) Top Camp generic name but it is a free-tail bat (Molossidae). Large, chocolate brown, big ears. Now have 18 species for camp here--270 specimens. Collected its parasites--2 fleas and 1 wingless fly. An exciting catch. Len also had good luck. Is sure he has a new genus of large flowering tree. An important find. No jacking tonight. Will do as much specimen packing as I can tomorrow. Thursday 18 June Made up my 2 bats in A.M. Unpinned more specimens and wrapped dry ones. Finally put 176 skins in the knockdown box--filled it. Have 82 more to fit in some place--possibly 1 of the black boxes. Also counted, sorted & packed skulls in the jam & butter cans I have been saving. Will carry only a few damp skins down to 2nd or Middle camp. Rest will go down by carrier to Biniguni. Walked up to see the sunset tonight. Low cloud sea in valleys. Wonderful yellow and orange skies behind Goropu. I never tire of this scene. Stayed until the southern Cross shone out clear. Only Miniopterus flying. No luck. New brown bread tonight--good! Boys out most of day but I don't think they tried very hard to find anything. Clear and cold again tonight. Carriers come up to #2 camp tomorrow while we finish packing. Jacking for an hour. Shot at a Wallaby but did not get him. Woods rather quiet. Still Giant Rats but little else left. Friday 19 June Our final full day in camp. Very hot after the sun was well up. Perfect for drying the rest of my specimens. Wire-strapped my knockdown box (176 specimens) and wrapped in tarpaulin for transport to Biniguni. Will carry skulls and more skins to 2nd camp and pack in 1/2 empty black box there. All skulls dry & packed. We are all ready to strike camp tomorrow. Walked north-west along the ridge this P.M. to take kadachromes of Mt. Maneau & the Goropu peaks. The low- lands to N. and Collingwood Bay were a solid blanket of cloud with only the summit of Goodenough Island sticking thru in the distance. Tonight I walked up the hill to watch my last Goropu sunset. One of the best--a beautiful rose & yellow fading into orange, salmon and yellows. 1/4 moon directly overhead. Geoff opened 2 ration cans tonight and he and Len had coffee and I cocoa and a cookie. Boys and I looked for the wallaby in A.M. but could find no trace. Brought in my last 6 steel traps. Leaving my set at end of work fly out tonight. Finished another roll of film today. No jacking tonight. Saw only 1 bat. Saturday 20 June Top Camp to Middle Camp (This is being written on the 22nd). We were up at 6; rolled our swags, tents and flys down and folded into packs. All gear then placed in 2 lines--1 for single loads, the other for double loads. Ken arrived about 10 A.M. and we had a good gab for an hour before the 40 plus carriers showed up. We had rice cooked for them and finally at 11:30 they poled their loads and started down the mountain. A lovely sunny day. Len and his boys went on ahead to collect on the way down. A carrier on way up had set a brush fire which swept the track at a narrow part. This held us up for 30-40 minutes while they cut a new path thru the scrub. Very clear. Could see all of Cape Nelson and its volcanic peaks, also Goodenough Island far to N.E., also mts. on mainland to N.W. Good track, soft with humus. Steep grade at times. Geoff, Ken & I brought up rear and arrived at Middle Camp (1540M) at about 2:30 P.M. All gear safely down. Wrapped another tarp around my specimen case and saw it go off to Biniguni. Took pictures in camp In A.M. Boys soon had our tents up and beds rigged. Ken had a surprise for me--a Biniguni counselor with his 2 dogs! He had brought in 2 cuscuses before we arrived. The boys had also found a small brown ringtail in a tree in camp. 3 good specimens. Had boys put up 15 traps apiece and I put 6 around work fly. Measured skins.