Thursday 30 April 1953 Menapi, Papua. It seems so natural to write this name now. We are quite at home. Today another radio that Bunting's boat "Jessie" would not arrive until Monday. This after having all traps brought in. Put in a long day while everyone else had a half day off--they have all stopped collecting, but mammal work goes on. 3 species of Rattus plus 1 Melomys this A.M. to skin. Dried skins in oven and wrapped a few. Packed one box of skulls -- dried others. Will work on formalin specimens tomorrow. Went jacking up stream in back of rest house. Quiet. A few flying foxes in trees with fruit. Did not go far--still hunted. Finally located a dark brown cuscus with 2 pouch young (each 9 inches long). 12 G. #6 no trouble finding this one. Measured and made catalogue entries. Friday 1 May. Jacked for half hour in coconut grove--fired once at glider-- no luck. Menapi. Good weather again after a very heavy shower during the early A.M. Trades blowing and moon is up. Just like a vacation today. No traps to run. Skinned cuscus in front of an audience of village people. Ken watched and I showed Isilele how to skin out feet again. Air dried skins today while I wrapped formalin specimens. This took most of P.M. with Ken helping. Ru said good-bye today. Off for Baniara where he will wait for boat for Samurai. Len walked down with him. Spending night at Government station. We are eating the fruit that the villagers gave us. Kim makes a wonderful dish of diced fruit. We had baked beans and meat patties and gravy (Army rations) tonight. Have oven on tonight. Specimens drying slowly. Tomorrow should see me packed. No further boat news. Ru gave me a copy of Police "Motu". This is the 2nd language for Papuans. All sections have their local dialect- Menapi's is "Gapapaiwa" Have finally mastered their name for flying fox--tongue twister--"Gwiririka". Have found skull labels showing spots of corrosion. Putting in paper tags as insurance. Ken gives me a running lesson of Aussie slang. Shot black and white film of Ken's in Geoff's camera. I took individual pictures and groups. Ken wants to send them to Samarai for Dusty to develop. We should have brought a Polaroid camera with us--1 minute to get dry picture. Saturday 2 May Menapi. Slept late this A.M. --7:00 ! No traps to run. Len spent night at Baniara. Dried and packed specimens most of day. Len brought back 4 gal. can for all of my wet specimens. These are first wrapped and tied up in gauze, then put in plastic bag and several of these put in large bag. P.O. at Baniara, Peter O'Sullivan, sent me 2 flying foxes from the island (once called Mosquito Island). Came back and forth to mainland. All bats and marsupial pouch young plus flying fish and 2 birds fitted into can. Ken will solder it up tomorrow. Cuscus I collected Apr. 30 was very fatty so scrapped clean & put more alum and ars. on. Will have to check all other cuscus skins. 2 small boys showed up at dusk with 2 small bats--gave each 2 crackers. Bats found in village house. Shot 1 bat (same species). Out jacking in coconut grove near rest house tonight. Coll. 1 flying squirrel. Losima was with me and pounced on the glider like a hawk. He is a fine boy and he wants to go jacking for cuscus with me. He is always the first up (5:15) to make kitchen fire. Keyloaded Geoff's camera with bl & wh film. Took pictures of his friend the native medical asst., his wife and a few of the Papuan girls. I picked out Army rations for dinner. We had oyster stew, vegetable soup, baked beans & frankfurters, beef stew, squash & potato & a huge bowl of diced fresh fruit, and bread and jam. (Some mail today. #7 from Key in Bermuda Apr 11 and I written Apr. 5. Also a good news letter from Mother Apr 13) Losima just came running in with new tree frog & Billy with a mouse!