Friday 24 April 1953 (cont) --447 specimens--50 marsupials, 69 rodents, 328 bats (48 of them made up)-- 164 skins & skulls--all the rest are in formalin. (25th is end of 5th week). Av. of 90 per week--but this will go down when I run out of bats! Saturday 25 April Anzac Day Menapi. David set 12 steel and 6 rat traps--all water sets. River w. of Menapi. Isilele brought in a large Bandicoot from his new grass line--this is only our 2nd. Taught Ken how to skin Petaurus--would make a good skinner with practice. He has shot & skinned crocs for a living. He may have a chance to collect at base camp while we are at top & middle camps. Will give him a few supplies. Wind blew a gale early this A.M. & sure was starting to pound. However, wind died and swung into SE--fair all day. Dried specimens in P.M. and wrapped flying fox skins. Will probably have 1 knock-down box and 1 exp. box of specimens to send back to Samarei. Boys were to have played town boys at soccer this P.M., but the local Sat. P.M. quiet rule put this game off until tomorrow. So they had an impromptu game among the coconut trees. They really have fun & of course they play bare-footed. Geoff was playing goalie. Small boys were helping me hold paper while I was wrapping specimens. Gave them a few life-savers & just at this time the young Q set gathered round & wanted "lollies" too. They all get a kick out of my repeating the animal names in the local language--Gapapaiwa. Peter O'Sullivan walked in from Baniara today. Stayed for lunch & dinner & will spend night. He and Ken are bending our ears with Papuan stories and experiences. Boys were issued new lava-lavas today--red and white with monkeys in trees! All lined up with their badge of trade--foxes, snakes & flowers. Ken had a bl.& wh. film to take each boy's picture. We are going to send film to "Dusty" to develop and then return. They will have a long wait for our color pictures. No jacking. Early to bed. No bats shot. Sunday 26 April Menapi. Nothing in David's traps but Lik Lik had 2 good rats & Isilele had another large Bandicoot. David had nothing jacking. Ken skinned out a rat-- did a fair job and much better on measuring. Dried specimens again & wrapped a few. 6 more cuscus skins nearly dry. Went in ocean for a swim today with Ru. Very refreshing. Out for bats tonight--shot with 2 aux barrels in gun--fire one, bat circles & you get it with 2nd shot. Fell down in dead leaves. Came back after dinner & searched for 1/2 hr. Will get boys out in A.M. & give it another go. A quiet day. Boys had day off after running trap lines. They slept late and played a little soccer late in day. The usual Sunday A.M. Q audience while Ken and I were skinning. Timothy from Dabora stopped by today and I asked him to spread the word that we were offering 1 Pound per Wallaby. Would like one from Cape Vogel area. Ken had a brainstorm about our jack lights today. When 5 batteries wear he puts a 6th battery in series so that proper voltage is restored. Gives longer life. Beautiful moonlight night with soft wind. We have a Frangipani tree out back and it is just coming into bloom (native to Mexico)--a very lovely odor. Have a blossom over my ear now. Talking over details tonight for our next move towards Mt. Maneao. Monday 27 April Menapi. 10:00 P.M. I wish you could picture me sitting in my comfortable canvas chair under the thatch roof of our house on stilts. Have just come in from jacking and have had my shower. Very cool in a T-shirt & a gentle sea breeze in the palms. Almost a full moon tonight. Everyone is in bed except Ken--