Thurs. July 29 (Cont'd) About three miles from Wenlock the road a jump-up of 100 feet or so onto the top of an escarpment of sedimentary rocks, and in another few miles begins to cross a wide stretch of "melon-hole" country timbered with a very open savanna-forest, or savanna, of box trees. Soil a yellowish, pebbly clay, pitted with solution holes, and carrying a good body of grass. Near Mein, the country became still more open as we skirted the north end of the Mein Flats. The flats appear to be undulating plains of yellowish, melon-holed soil carrying very good grass (kangaroo grass, Andropogan intermedius, etc.) and only a thin scattering of trees. According to Whitehouse the soil of the plains (and of the box country?) are derived from Cretaceous sediments. Trees include box and carbeen. Collected ar a rock sample from a flagged path at the old abandoned tele- graph station at Mein. The old telegraph station is built of galvanized iron on high stumps in the form of a hollow square. From the eighties until quite recently it was occupied by telegraph line staff. One of the last men there got in the horrors on Doug Fisher's illicit rum, and shot himself. The building is now owned by Fred Keppel, owner of Merluma cattle station. South of Mein the good box country continues for a number of miles. Beyond that is about two miles of hard lateritic ridge on which we hit 20 mph; then varied ridgy country carrying a variety of eucalypts and other trees. On the north bank of Charlotte Creek we descended another sedimentary jump-up, and between there and the Archer crossed poor, sandy ridges carrying mostly messmate. Several swampy teatree flats close to the Archer. Big boulders of granite on the slope down to the river. Did not bother to rig a camp on the Archer. Camp is merely a fire, and cots and chairs on a burned-over, dusty high floodbank ledge on the north side of the river. Sat. July 31: At breakfast time yesterday Van came back from traps with a grassland Melomys which to my untrained eye looks different - very sandy color and also smaller - from the species we have been getting further north, but which George says is the same species and same rat. That was total catch from traps. Spent a little time im roving camp before we went our various ways, collecting and spying out the country. The only regular tentage rigged was my tent, which in this windy country I must have in order to work on plants. Don, with his small bird equipment, is set up under a bushy tree. Geoff has elected to work in the open. George and Van have a gunyah of ground cloths and leafy cabbage-gum branches. Mornings and evenings the air is delightfully soft, rather than cool, and there is not enough wind to be bothersome. Days are an alternation of high, wind-driven overcast, and burst of bright sun accompanied by still stronger southeast wind. Dust Blows, a scud of rain comes over now and then. Temperature in my tent, while I work on plants in the afternoon, varies from 97 to 100 F. The clear soft water of the river, where I bathe near the boys camp in the evening, has a relaxing, air-condi- tioned feel. We move on to Coen tomorrow. For mammals, the camp has been poor. Geoff's diverse activities have given good results, including 8 spp. of fish and one crus- tacean from the river. Don, with Hugh Fisher's help, keeps on getting new birds for his collection. Plants for the two days total 43 numbers, 279 spp.