with a few whistle signals, and waves of his arms. He had a portable radio phone with which to keep in touch with control stations. The shores of Gatun Lake, in the middle of the Isthmus, are largely undisturbed by man. Forests come correct down to the edge of the water. Rain forest apparently rich in species of plants but composed of trees that are not very tall. Palms of several species abundant. The biological station on Barro Colorado Island is in such surroundings. A very dilapidated and only partly legible notice board identifies the island. The buildings are in a narrow strip of clearing in the forest, well above the water on a steep hillside. A flight of steps lead down to the water and boathouse. Two or three small wooden buildings are in process of construction, on the slope below the cluster of two or three main buildings. Saw no other sign of activity through the glasses as we passed, and no one was at work on the new huts. That was about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. During the day we met about 8 or ten ships going west, including two big U.S. Army cargo transports. No other sign of military activity except for several jet fighters in the air near Balboa. Am told that quite a show was put on when several small Russian ships, bound from the Baltic to Vladivostock, passed through the canal recently. Extra jet planes were there for the occasion, and office staff of the depleted garrison was roused out to drive trucks and haul guns about. Yet, unexpectedly, we were told that restrictions on photographs have been lifted. I should say that one owner of a camera on our ship made pictures today. Geoff left the ship at Balboa, going ashore in the agent's boat. He will fly to Miami tonight, where Miriam is to meet him. At Balboa a Navy doctor came aboard to examine Mrs. MacKenzie, one of our passengers from Sydney, who has been ill for most of the trip and lately confined to her bed. The sick woman was taken off in a stretcher at Pedro Miguel Lock, her illness undiagnosed Having 25 tons of cargo to put off for British Honduras, we docked for a couple of hours at Cristobal. Tied up about 6 o'clock. The Republic of Panama is in turmoil following a general election. The candidate (Arias?) who polled most popular votes lost on the count of electoral votes, and a phoney electoral count is alleged by his supporters. Some such trouble. At any rate, the Zone police are on their toes, and we were not allowed into the town of Colon without our passports. The ship's agent said nothing about this. Consequently we had to go back to the ship for our papers and did not have much time for sightseeing. Further, we were warned not to venture away from the center of the town on foot. Some nice looking shops, mostly owned by Hindoos, and lots of drinking places. Most of our sidelights on Colon were gained in Jim Gray's Tropico bar, where alert negro waiters serve good beer and poor cuba libras. Tuesday Nov.23 - Fri. Nov.26: At Port of Spain, Trinidad. Shortly after daylight on the morning of the 23rd we passed through the Dragon's Mouth into the Gulf of Paria and about 8 o'clock anchored off Port of Spain to await a place at the wharf. Since leaving the Canal the coast of the Spanish Main that we have seen, and Aruba and some smaller Islands, have been dry appearing. At Trinidad we are again in wet tropics although, on passing close to the largest of the islands in the Dragon's Mouth, and putting the glasses on the green, rich looking vegetation of the very steep seaward slope, I was surprised to find it composed mainly of succulent plants - a green Agave the principal plant, and a tall organpipe cactus very common and conspicuous. The vegetation of the Gulf side of the island had the same green, but there it appeared to be rainforest and I could not see any of the tall cactus plants. Between the Dragon's Mouth and Port of Spain, we passed the U.S. naval base built during World War II, then a great bauxite trans-shipment plant which is being erected by Alcoa. Bauxite is now trans-shipped out in the harbour or rather the open roadstead. Two big ships (Liberty ships?), fitted with grablines,