watching them through glasses with a couple of bird enthusiasts who sit at my table. The bird watchers are Miss Mary C. Wheelwright and Miss Augustina Stoll, neighbors from near Santa-Fe in New Mexico and traveling together to New Zealand, and later Australia. Both are elderly. Miss Stoll is a school teacher, recently retired. Miss Wheelwright is widely traveled and perhaps quite well off. She is a student of religion in Indian culture, with particular reference to the Navajo. Has a private museum in New Mexico with a collection of over 400 Navajo sand paintings. Is interested in studying said-paintings in other parts of the world. One of her trips, some years ago, was into western China. Others at my table are Mr. and Mrs. Vedric Rouse, from near Sydney. Rouse is one of the owners of a plant that manufactures portland cement. Does not look like a business man and acts more like a playboy. Mr. and Mrs. Clothier are from Wellington. Clothier is a General Motors distributor in charge of the GM assembly plant at Wellington. Mr. and Mrs. Dunphy are Americans, past middle age, traveling to New Zealand. Dunphy is a retired shipping man, trying to decide whether to settle down in California or New Zealand. Finally there is ______ Arnold, a youthful chap in the U.S. diplomatic service, traveling to Sydney. Monday Dec. 22: Getting lazy. Thought I would skip notes for a day, and find it has run to three. Saturday we crossed the line about 9:30 in the morning. The usual crew jokes about feeling the bump, and downhill travel for the rest of the way. Yesterday saw the beginning of Christmas decorations in lounges and dining room. The ship well provided with the traditional fixings and the stewards doing a good job with them. Christmas trees, wreaths, garlands, red bells, etc. They have a good dodge in producing snow for the trees - fluffy white asbestos powder from the engine room. Santa Claus, according to secret information at the captain's table, comes on board tomorrow with gifts for all the kids. There will be no Christmas Day on board. There will be no 25th of December. We drop that day in crossing the international date line. An event which was kept rather quiet yesterday was a burial at sea. A 78-year old man from the cabin next to ours died of pneumonia and his body was disposed of at sundown. There was no notice of the ceremony; I was reading in my bunk and therefore missed it. Other passengers are sick with something that might be 'flu. Woodhall, in my cabin, is down to it with a temperature of 105, and is being attended by the ship's doctor - Dr. Slaughter! The ship carries two or more nurses and of course has a hospital, down on B Deck, which has no porthole ventilation. We are due to arrive at Pago Pago tomorrow morning, where air mail can be posted for the U.S. at mainland rates of 5 cents per ounce. Sunburn and the increased heat are slowing the tempo of shipboard life; ap- petites are fading as the dining room temperature climbs toward 100. Fortunately, the northeast tradewind has held right across the equator. We are well south of the line now and still have this cooling wind. The ship would be hell without it.