At Myola, near Kuranda, we met R.R. (Rob) Vievers, brother of George. With a helper, he was out in the rainforest, loading logs on a wagon with a team of bullocks. It was he who had told Stephens about the striped cat. In years spent at Speewah as boy and man, he had shot five of the beasts. Body length about 20 inches, tail about 15 inches. Decided to collect at Speewah. A letter left with a storekeeper at Kuranda in the hope that it will reach George Vievers before we arrive. Speewah is only 5 miles from the Cairns-Mareeba Highway, but the people seldom come to Kuranda, the nearest town, 12 miles away. After lunch in Kuranda we went on to the Koah truck farming area on the lower Clohesy River, where an ex-AIF officer farmer, Gilmore, is cooperating with Stephens in testing various strains of tomatoes, etc. A one-man farm on which Gilmore appears to be having rather a struggle. Growing tomatoes and cabbages mainly. A fungus disease called blackleg is attacking his cabbages, nematodes his tomatoes, and bean fly his beans. Led by Gilmore we visited a camp of spectacled fruit bats in the marginal rainforest on the bank of the Clohesy. Four specimens shot. A telegram from the Forestry Department, not signed by Grenning, which says in effect that we will not be given permission to collect zoological material in Bellenden Ker or any other national park. The language of the telegram is that of the clerk, Trist, who holds that there is nothing in the national parks which we cannot get elsewhere. Any biologist, or forester, would know better. A cyclone blowing off the coast, several hundred miles to the south and moving away from us. An abnormally high tide this morning, associated with the cyclone, flooded parts of the town near the waterfront, and carried germinating mangrove fruits, and coconut husks, onto the streets. Wednesday, Mar. 24 Telegraphed the Hon. Alfred Jones, Minister for Lands (which includes Forestry) for permission to do zoological collecting in national parks. My plant collecting permits already cover national parks. Only news on the Time is that the wharfies have demanded and are getting an extra 6/- an hour "stench money" for unloading the ship. This sets a nice precedent for strikers to let potatoes and onions rot in ships holds. Gill Bates called up to say that Wheeler, Stroud & Biddens, owners of a cane farm at Bellenden Ker, 1/2 mile from the cut track leading up the mountain, offer us the use of their barracks for a camp. Thursday, Mar. 25 The third day of very hot weather. We feel like rinsed-out rags in the evenings. Thunderclouds threaten, the sunsets are red, and there is no rain to cool the air. Through Burns Philp of Townsville, I have been trying to get our cargo unloaded off the Time. If that can be done, we can have it here by road by Wednesday or Thursday, and the "Yalata" is expected to sail for Thursday Island about the end of next week. Preparations complete for collecting at Speewah over Easter.