Probably because of the more uniform habitat conditions, the savanna-forests are poorer in species than those of the Lockerbie area. The deficiency is especially noticeable in grasses, and in small wet season herbs of the teatree flats. Some grass species very important at Lockerbie are missing here. The tall Pennisetum- like grass dominant on the deeper soils at Lockerbie seems entirely absent from Portland Roads, where its place is taken by Heteropgon contortus, a minor species at Lockerbie. H. contortus,, a troublesome spear-grass, is now shedding its ripe seeds, which go through our tough khaki trousers as readily as a tin tack. It is the dominant grass of the bald parts of the Aylen Hills. Grevillea glauca, some 10-15 ft. high supplies most of the thin sprinkling of trees. The Aylen Hills are a ridge of granite rising from the edge of the sea to a maximum height of 390 ft. in Aylen Peak. The northern part of the ridge is mainly rocky grassland. On the inland slope of the south end of the ridge are sizable patches of brushy rain-forest which are not shown on the military map. The seaward slope for its whole length is more or less grassy and rocky, in parts thinly covered with leaning, windclipped low scrub, and carrying a few small patches of brushy rainforest. The grassy condition is a feature of many of the hills and mountain ridges fronting the coast from between Cape Tribu- lion and Cooktown to Somerset. Bald hills and ridges are character- istic of this great length of coast in areas in which rain-forest can be seen from the sea. The grass, it would seem, occupies terrain form- erly rain-forested. Destruction of forest by fire would appear the only feasible explanation. The crews of small boats, ranging the coast for trochus and trepang and sandalwood in recent historic times, may have been responsible for the fire: Mammal results for Portland Roads have been poor. Thirty speci- mens of about 10 species. Probably the best mammals to turn up were four Rhinolophus which I killed with a switch in themath concrete magazine of the coastal artillery outfit which guarded the harbor after the Japs were defeated in the battle of the Coral Sea. On parts of the ridges the bark of the trees is all scratched by arboreal mammals, but only one specimen, Petaurus, has been taken, despite much night jacking, cavities with a long stick, without finding anything. Selective fell- ing of trees, with axes and natives which are on hand, might be the solution. Yesterday, with George and my blackboy, I made a reconnaissance of the Iron Range area. The results confirm my first impression that the site of the former AAF radio station is the best place for our Iron Range main base, and I have made arrangements for camping there. We were to have made the tour on Wednesday but the unreliable Doug Fisher failed to provide a truck I had arranged to hire for the"c day. Started for Iron Range before daylight in another truck driven by Barry Fisher, who took us to the main Roads camp, where Barry works, carrying gravel for a road surfacing job. When major Air Force opera- tions ceased at Iron Range during the war, thousands of drums of tar were on hand to surface two subsidiary air strips. Main Roads is using some of the tar to surface the 6 miles of road between Gordon Field and the old radio station. A work of high policy, apparently.