BIRDS - NEW CALEDONIA L. Macmillan Page 43 WAILU AREA: (French Spelling: HOUILOU) SITUATION: Wailu is about half way along the North-east coast of New Caledonia. TYPE OF COUNTRY: Wailu area is a deep narrow river valley running far back into the centre of the island, possibly a distance of 20 miles. The mountains on either side are from 600 to 2000 ft. in height and are very steep. In the lower reaches the mountains are inclined to be rather bare or covered with a low three ft. heath scrub with much bracken fern and long grasses with odd scattered shrubs of five or six ft. here and there; and in odd valleys and pockets there are small patches of scrub running to 10 or 15 ft. in height, but these patches are not numerous or extensive. In the valley bottoms grass flats with grass for grasing of cattle and coffee plantations and native gardens are common and fairly extensive. In the upper reaches of the river there is more forest which here and there becomes fairly extensive in area. There are two types of forest, dark green tropical with trees of 40ft. and more and very dense, and an open type of Nowlie forest with scattered trees, nowhere very tall, with grass and scattered low shrubs in between. Lantana and guava both introduced pests are common everywhere in the area. The soil especially in the river flats is fertile though generally highly mineralised. On the mountains it is not so fertile but is not so water eroded as in the Baie des Pirogues area. BIRDS: Notophoyx: Exceedingly common all along the river valley, even far up towards the head waters, 15 to 20 miles inland, and towards the mouth in the tidal section. Generally speaking they feed on the river margin and about the sand banks but when the water is discoloured or the river in flood they come out and feed on the grass flats. Accipiter haplochrous: Does not seem common in the area, from