Monday 6 July 1953 Middle Camp A slow day--nothing except Rattus & Melomys besides the bats. Finished making up skins early. About 2:30 my three boys & I left camp for the Atairo River (we think that's its name) by the trail Geoff cut a few days ago. Made it in 25 minutes--fast going. Elev. 1370 M. A lovely wild spot with the far bank rising almost vertically for a 100 feet or so. Tree ferns growing from the sheer wall & looking prehistoric in the gently swirling cloud mist that filled the gorge. Begonias growing on the rocks--mosses and ferns covering every square inch of available space. Not a wide brook--you can cross in a few steps--but a noisy one. Swifts were flying low. The boys set their traps & I rigged my piece of shad net (the one I used as a bat net on Cape York) in a flume; I hope to catch Crossomys--a water rat. Not much chance. David went in for a bath. The gorge is very likely filled with plants new to science, but Len has a bad shoulder & the trail is so steep & slippery (roots & yellow clay under a shallow humus) that he will not attempt the walk (you need both arms & legs to climb out of the gorge. His boys have collected new plants there each trip. Back at camp about 4:30. No jacking. To bed early & a sound sleep after my strenuous walk. Tuesday 7 July David finally jacked another Giant Rat last night--this time Anisomys (I trapped one at Top Camp). Also 2 brown ring-tails. All the rest Rattus & Melomys (3 Rattus from the brook). Misty clouds driving in most of day with sun showing occasionally. 2 carriers arrived from Biniguni with 1/2 drum kerosene (but no Nelson's Blood--rum to you--Len & Geoff were sore upset--they only have a 1/2 bottle to last the week out !). We had expected more carriers but Ken is no doubt having trouble getting men to carry because of the pig feasts. He is hoping to move us down to Bottom Camp next Monday. Jacked one small brown ring-tail tonight. No luck with bats. 8 more traps to each boy--now have 69 traps in gorge. Boys brought in 2 flower fragments of a lovely salmon & yellow Rhododendron from the gorge. Not being able to collect there himself is breaking his heart. Reading and writing in bed. Lamp warms up tent very quickly. Wednesday 8 July Geoff's 55th birthday. Gave G. my last bar of chocolate. David shot another Anisomys last night and caught one of the long-footed rodents in a river gorge trap. Tonight, while I dried and started to wrap specimens, David jacked the river trail & shot one of the golden-green Ring-tail Possums that we found at Top Camp--our first for this camp--and a brown-headed Ring-tail. 18 species for this camp. Have had lamp going all day in tent. I hope we will have better drying weather at next camp. Only a few drops of rain today. For birthday dinner L. & G. finished the rum (4 long dry days ahead of them--poor fellows !), and we had a sausage stew with dumplings and an apple pie. Len walked up to the beech forest to collect. Thursday 9 July I am sure we have a second Rattus for this camp. H.F. measures over 30 mm. & ventral color very buffy. 3 came in today & we had 1 yesterday. David shot another Anisomys at 5 A.M. Heard it chewing in tree near boys' fly & shot it as it came down tree--head first. 2 small Rattus & 2 short-winged black birds from river traps. Dried specimens all day over lamp in tent. Have 2 wire trays which I suspend over lamp. Wrapped for a couple of hours. Out jacking & baiting traps for an hour. Saw nothing. The sounds I will always associate with this oak forest are the calls of the numerous species of frogs. Peepers & whistlers & grunters. A beautiful white moth with a striking geometric design came to Geoff's light