Monday 13 July 1953 (cont) Middle Camp to Bottom Camp 3000 feet. Litter came in about ½ hour later. Boys did a fine job on a bad trail-- no slips. Len dressed cut today--healing nicely. (Changed wet clothes. Had a cup of tea; boys rigged our tent; checked my collecting gear; heard latest news from Ken. Clouds broke & thru the cut tree opening in the edge of the rain forest we could see Fir Tree Point & much of coast to west. Lowland forests spread out beneath us. In sun below most of P.M. Put out 10 mouse traps, took 1 shot at bats, went jacking for an hour. Shot at 1 Gecko 4 times but he would not fall. Found a frog for Geoff--very tiny (½ inch)--noise like a cricket. Woods very wet, good frog chorus here. One small stream near camp has cut a shallow shute thru the rock. Saw at least 4 species of bats over camp--including 1 Flying Fox (6-6:30 P.M.) Tuesday 14 July Bottom Camp 195 Nothing in traps. A misty day with some drizzle. Put out 25 more traps. Boys spent most of day putting camp in shape: log flooring between tents & fly, building patta-pattas, digging latrine, felling trees. We have a good steady water supply--stream a few minutes walk to west of camp. Jacking for bats (6 to 6:30 P.M.)--a few went by camp but had no shots. Jacking after dinner--was lucky to see a Pogonomyss running up tree--missed with a .410 #12 but a 12 ga. #6 found him. Fortunately only 3 shot hit him. David out but no luck. Either very little here or hard to see because of forest height. Ants eating bait on traps. Wednesday 15 July 196 This looks like a lean collecting camp for me--I had only 1 rat out of 34 traps; LikLik 0 - 25. However, the one (caught at base of vine covered tree) was a new one for the collection. M. F. 0 - 2 = 4. Believe it is a Pogono melomys--distal tip of tail dorsally prehensile for about 15 mm.--a relatively short tail. Ken and David left for Biniguni after breakfast. David to return Friday P.M. Niko arrived in camp about 11:00 from B. where he had been shifting our gear. He will work for Len now. Jimmy was given his release this A.M. -- too apt to be a trouble-maker and Len says he was stealing betel nut from his tent. There was much conventionalized loud wailing from the boys when he left. However, they were laughing & smiling 10 minutes later. Gave Isilele 33 traps (11 rat--22 M.S.), Kim (10 r.- 3 steel), Losima (9 rat- 4 st.), LikLik (8 more--all rat-total 33); I have 23 M.S. & 10 rat. Have only a few steels left. Overcast all P.M. but no rain. Out jacking for 2 hrs. Coll. another Pogonomyss (dim eye shine)-- small tree 10' up. G's boys jacking frogs & spiders. Thursday 16 July 197 Kim brought in a small rusty Bandicoot from his trap line ¼ mi. W. of camp near the lovely Mt. brook--our first specimen for Maneau. LikLik had 1 Rattus Leucopus also new for M. This P.M. Kim, L-L, & Isilele chopped down large tree near camp & found another new Pogonomyss in small hole. Quality not quantity at this camp. Geoff tells me that last night a small rat (?) ran down the fly side pole & stood watching him. No machete. Caught small lizard in M.S. Geoff made his way to mountain river about an hour's walk from camp. 2 falls of 50 ft. each. Good volume of water. A.M. was beautiful. Sun felt good. Could see Cape Nelson & its volcanic mountains. Bearing on tip 50° W. of N. Overcast this P.M. but clear now 6 P.M. A leisurely day for me. Good lather bath after lunch. We all have scrub itch--caused by mites which lie in wait on rotten logs. Legs, crotch & waist. We all scratch! Jacking tonight gave me a new mammal for camp--long- legged Leptomys--saw him hopping on ground (very large compared to those at Middle Camp). Also heard squeaking in woods nearby--had another Leptomys in steel meat set. No luck bat shooting.