Panel No. 1. New Guinea Expeditions.

The left image shows Richard Archbold (age 30, standing) at the completion of the first non-stop flight across the United States (San Diego - Queens, New York) by an amphibious plane; his own Consolidated flying boat, PBY-1, which he named “Guba.” The 2,300-mile flight was completed on Friday, June 25, 1937, after 17 hours and 3 ½ minutes and at an average speed of 135 mph. Seated at Archbold’s left are: Russell Rogers, co-pilot; L.R. Gray, navigator; and William Wheatley (wearing a hat), chief test pilot; and in back: Gerald Brown, flight mechanic; and Harold Ramm, radio operator.

The right image shows Guba at Lake Habbema (10,580 feet), in the Snow Mountains of central New Guinea, during July, 1938, on the Third (1938-39) Archbold Expedition to New Guinea. Supplies for this alpine camp are being unloaded by Dyak carriers from Borneo. They are all wearing knit caps in the cool mountain air.

The center image shows a male Archbold’s Bowerbird (Archboldia papuensis) at its bower, with a female on the right. This species was discovered near Lake Habbema on December 3, 1938, by Austin L. Rand, expedition ornithologist. This was the last species of bowerbird to be discovered. It is known only from a few sites at high elevations (7,000-9,000 feet) in central New Guinea.

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