Highlands

Scientists Bust In NG Highlands

From Lillian Millar, in New Guinea One never knows whom one is going to meet on the jungle track in Central New Guinea,

nowadays.

DR. MARIE REAY, an Australian scientist engaged in research near Minj, wanted to see something up Mount Hagen way; so I under took to drive her from Minj to Danny Leahy’s place.

Alas and alack! We stuck fast in the mud on top of “kuta”; and l— imagining I still am as 1 was 20 years ago—said I would walk the several miles to Danny’s, for help.

There was an up-grade of five miles, and I sat down in the middle of the track to rub my tortured feet. And along came a bright lad, who seemed very surprised to find me there.

That was how I met Dr. Terence Walton, aged 28, D.Sc., Fellow of the Royal Zoological Society, graduate of Edinburgh University, who has come here from Calgary (from the Department of Natural History of the Glenbow Foundation, Alberta, Canada).

His immediate purpose here is to find, study and film our Birds of Paradise; and he will be assisted by our famous oldhand, George M. Rio.

Dr. Walton will be joined later by Canadian colleagues—Mr. Bill Bacon and Dr. Tony Melgrave. After New Guinea, they will study the rare Sumatran rhino and tiger in Sumatra, the king cobra in Burma, the Indian rhino in Nepal, and the expedition will end its present mission in the animal sanctuaries of Kenya.

"Mushroom Madness"

Dr. Reay, by the way, is here to study “mushroom madness”.

She* has been visiting the Kondambi, near Minj, to further study the native people whom she met in 1953-55, and about whom she wrote in her book The Kuma; Freedom and Conformity in the New Guinea Highlands. She is preparing a second book, Wandering Women, and after her travels she will probably return to Australia in December.

There is a big team of scientists in this area at the moment.

Dr. Reay was joined by Professor Roger Hein, botanist and mycologist,

who is Director of the National Museum of Natural History in Pans, and Mr. R. Gordon Wasson, an American ethno-mycologist, from New York. They are all keenly interested in the mycology of the mushroom madness” reported upon by Dr. Reay on her last visit to the Kuma people, 10 years ago. (Mycology is the science concerned with the study of fungi).

Professor C. Y. Chow, regional entomologist of the World Health Organisation, has been visiting the Highlands and other New Guinea districts, observing what is being done in the field of malaria research and control.

Australian-Dutch Co-operation

A research team, representing the Australian CSIRO, and the Dutch Rijksherbanum, of Leyden, Holland is officially described as “a very successful co-operative effort”. The Australians were Mr. R. Pullen botanist, and Mr. W. B. Hitchcock! ornithologist; and the Dutch scientist was Dr. W. Vink.

The expedition collected and listed about 1,000 plants, 500 birds and 100 animals, as well as insects, frogs and snails, from an area generally south wards of Minj, Its first camp was in moss forest, at 9,600 feet; Camp II was in alpine shrubbery, at 10,800 feet; and Camp 111 was made on the slopes of Mt.

Kinkain, which was first climbed in 1957 by Messrs. R. Pullen and J.

Saunders.

The expedition was on the Kubor Range, in the Minj-Nona Divide, from June to September; and Dr.

Vink and Mr. Pullen twice climbed Mt. Milyin Kolyin, to 13,570 feet.

They report that the remarkable “rock finger” has not yet been climbed, and is considered a dangerous technical job even for experienced rock climbers. Milyin Kolyin was first climbed by Father Schilling and a Minj school teacher in 1959.

Bsip Chief Police Retires

A FAREWELL feast was given by the Solomon Islands Police for their Chief, Mr. A. L. Abraham, at the end of September. He and his wife left the Protectorate in October on pre-retirement leave, having done a tremendous amount of good for the Solomon Islanders. About three hun dred special constables, regulars, and wives were present.

Mrs, Abraham has also done a lot of work for the Solomon Islands Branch of the British Red Cross Society and also helped the Society in other parts of the world for many years. She is the holder of the Badge of Honour for her work.