At Speewah it is plain that the "climatic" tendency is for rainforest to make territorial gain at the expense of savanna-forest. Along the lower edge of the rainforests of the higher mountains, and on the outskirts of the strips of rainforest bordering streams, is fringe of bastard rainforest in which the big old trees (red stringybark, blue gum, etc.) are savanna-forest species and the smaller trees and undergrowth belong to the rain-forest. Tuesday, Mar. 30 Through Burns Phil I have been in touch with the Time situation in Townsville three times during the day. There now seems little hope of our being able to get our cargo unloaded there. Unloading operations by the slow-moving wharfies have not uncovered our crates. Apparently they are buried under the rest of the Cairns cargo in a hold which is not being worked at Townsville. Have made arrangements by which our cargo, if unloaded in Townsville, can be delivered in Cairns by road. The Talata should be leaving for the far north by the middle of next week and will land us at Red Island Point by special arrangement with the agents. Nice arrangements, if only we could take advantage of them. The latest thing to go wrong is Van's health. Since the day we left for Speewah he has been below par, and at times running a temperature. Had him examined by a dicator this afternoon (Dr. Knott). Verdict, a mild form of colitis, common locally. Treatment, a laxative and rest. To which the medico might perhaps as well have added, no more ginger beer, no more soup, and no more ice cream - the three main items of Van's diet, when he can get them. Wed. Mar. 31 With the end of the month die our hopes of leaving Cairns for the Peninsula before the arrival of the Time in this port. Our cargo cannot be got at at Townsville. The latest forecast is that the Time will bunker on Monday, leave there Tuesday, and arrive here Wednesday of next week. No one seems to know why the delay of four days between discharge of cargo and bunkering at Townsville. I have stopped guessing. Arrangements made today for field work under the eastern slopes of the Bellenden Ker Range. Practically all of the Ballenden Ker Range, from where the standing rainforest begins at the edge of the cane-fields, is within the boundaries of the national park. But near where we will camp we can collect up to 800 ft. on private lands, and there is nothing to prevent us from collecting plants and insects up to the 5000 ft. summit of the range. My application to the Forestry Dept. for permission to do zoological collecting in the park has brought an OK on insects. They still hold out on mammals. And I am still at them for a revision of their first decision. Our camp will be in the labor barracks of the Wheeler, Stroud & Giddens cane farm, on the Junction Ck. tributary of the Russell River. Contributions to our collections from local people keep coming in. Today - two snakes and a bandicoot. All bandicoot specimens taken on the coastal lowlands to date belong to the genus Isoodon, while all the highland beasts are Perameles.