Tuesday 28 July 1953 Gwariu River Camp. Today marks our 6th month away from home! Another 4 months and we will be packing for the trip home. We gave all our boys a holiday today. They fixed their camp, washed clothes, blankets & themselves in river. We are doing our own cooking. Made up my bat. Ken, Geoff and I walked to Biniguni to visit the rest house & check on supplies & specimens. All seem in good shape. Brought back my pillow, blanket & more tow to camp. B. is about 1 mile N. of camp thru rain forest & gardens. Spent a quiet afternoon airing clothes & bedding, shaving, writing. Will not put traps out until tomorrow & no jacking. Kim came home about 5 P.M. with a small bat which one of the village boys had given him to deliver to me. A new species for the Expedition--a free-tail bat only 51 mm. T.L. Measured & skinned before dinner. Ken cooked a delicious dinner of pigeon & vegetables in his pressure cooker. Relaxing again tonight. Village men leaving for a week's hunt tomorrow. Ken has asked them to bring back what mammals they can save for me. I don't know what to expect. Ken mentioned casually to me that one of the men had shown him a porcupine skull. We stopped at his house & surely enough he had a partial skull with long beak intact! People of any region are always so casual about their native animals even though to us it may be extremely rare. Same in Australia. And it is hard to make even Ken realize their importance--to me. Wednesday 29 July Stayed in bed until 6:30. Cool sleeping & the rush of the river lulls you to sleep. Ken & I talked until midnight about New Guinea & its people; then we went to cook fly to make hot bouillon. Poor Len is usually awake at 3, 4, 5 & rarely goes back to sleep again. Every little noise seems to disturb him. G. is a snorer so it is just as well that we have our own tents again. Ken & I sleep like logs. Made up my bat after breakfast & then Ken, Len & I walked into Biniguni. I packed study skins into knockdown boxes. Also packed spare traps, heavy clothes & coll. gear in black boxes to go down on first carry to Baiawa. Ken & I came back for late lunch of delicious vegetables. We set our first traps this P.M.--35 rat, 20 Mus. Sp. Will jack tonight for first time. 6:00 P.M. and time for bat shooting. Thursday 30 July Did not hit any bats last night. Jacking produced nothing (1½ hrs). Heard flying foxes & saw small bats on trail. Trapping gave us 4 species 2 Rattus and 2 Melomys--7 specimens. Back to the old routine again. We have a fine skinning table pata pata with a single flattened log as a seat for the 4 of us. Ken jacked a Dobsonia & also brought in 2 Geckos. Day overcast with light drizzle this P.M. No stars tonight. We are living high again: had pressure cooked pigeon twice today as well as our fine assortment of vegetables. Also bananas & apricots mixed for desert. These dried apricots are very good either dry or cooked (taste like jam). Went jacking tonight & shot 1 Uromys (giant rat) that was wandering about on ground; also a 2nd. but could not find him. Found 1 Gecko for Geoff. Ken has arranged for runner to go out with mail on Saturday. Practically all the village is out on a hunting trip getting food for a big feast 2 weeks from now. It is doubtful if we stay here more than 3 or 4 weeks. We may move 1/2 way down to the coast for remaining time. This is mostly 2nd growth rain forest & rather poor picking for Len. Virgin r.f. north of Biniguni. We are writing to charter a boat to pick us up at Baiawa (2nd week Sept).