HA ED WICKE'S SCIENCE- G OS SI P. 



155 



BOTANICAL RAMBLES NEAR ROUND- 

 STONE, COUNTY GALWAY. 



THE district I am about to describe is situated 

 near Roundstone, a small town on the south- 

 west coast of Connemara, about fifty miles by road 

 from Galway. Immediately to the west of the town 

 is Urrisbeg, a hill of nine hundred and eighty-seven 

 feet in height, the slopes of which, and the lakes and 

 bogs about its base, are all very rich in rare 

 plants. 



The hill is composed of granite, and is rather 

 remarkable for the number of metallic ores it contains, 

 viz. — gold, silver, copper, lead, and molybdenite. But 

 I think some of them are in too small quantities and 

 too much diffused to pay for extensive mining 

 operations. 



I visited this locality last June in company with 

 my friend, Mr. J. G. Wells. We arrived there on 

 the 29th, from the Aran Islands. 



The next morning we started botanising, and were 

 much struck with the profusion of Osnmnda rcgalis 

 growing on the banks of all the streams and ditches. 

 It was of all sizes from a few inches to three or four 

 feet in height ; very fine indeed it looks, with the light 

 green fronds topped with a large brown spike of 

 of sporangia. This seems to be one of the commonest 

 ferns in Connemara; I noticed it in most of the 

 ditches along the roadsides. 



Soon after we started to ascend the hill, we found 

 the lovely Dahceocia poUfolia in flower. This plant is 

 confined to the west of Ireland, and is orie of the 

 most gorgeous of our Ericaces, its crimson flowers 

 are in some cases nearly three-quarters of an inch 

 long. There is also a white variety to be found 

 about here, but we were not fortunate enough to 

 see it. 



Pinguicula Itcsilanica was found growing on boggy 

 ground a short distance up. It is a most delicate little 

 plant, the leaves are very pale with darker veins ; the 

 flower is lilac, also with darker veins. The whole 

 plant is very fragile, and much smaller than P. 

 vulgaris, which we found growing with it. The 

 plants of this genus are very interesting from the fact 

 that they are insectivorous. 



Other plants worth mention are Schxjms nigricans, 

 which is very conspicuous, with angular-looking 

 heads of black glumes ; Eriophortim angtistifoliiim 

 (the cotton-grass) ; Scirpus pauciflorus, and Carcx 

 limosa. 



We also found a thistle which, I think, is a hybrid 

 between Cardmcs palustris and pratcnsis ; but 

 we did not see either of these species anywhere in 

 the locality. 



All the above were growing on the boggy slopes of 

 the hill. 



On reaching the top of Urrisbeg a very striking 

 view meets the eye. Looking north we could see 

 nearly three hundred lakes, both large and small, all 



clustered together in the space of a few square miles ; 

 houses and cultivation are conspicuous by their 

 absence. To the westward stretches Slyne Head 

 with the two lighthouses on the island at its 

 extremity. To the southward we could see Deer 

 Island and numerous others, further out to sea 

 the three islands of Aran ; along the coast of these 

 latter could be seen the smoke arising from the 

 numerous fires of the kelp-burners. 



The next day (July ist) we took a route around the 

 base of Urrisbeg. 



In some small pools on a peat bog we found 

 Utricidaria minor and U. intermedia growing in 

 abundance. The former was in flower ; they are 

 supported on a very fine stalk, and stand a few 

 inches out of the water ; the bladders and leaves are 

 on the same stem. In the latter species the bladders 

 are very large and on separate stems from the leaves ; 

 it is very distinct from all the other species of the 

 genus. 



Both these plants are insectivorous, and in the 

 bladders of intermedia I found numerous minute 

 fresh-water crustaceans, etc. 



Growing with the above was Chara fragilis in full 

 fruit. 



On the peat of these bogs were found all three 

 species of Drosera, viz., rotitndifoliay a^igUca, and 

 intermedia. This is also a most interesting genus, 

 from the fact that all the species are insectivorous, 

 and I found some plants with two or three of the 

 leaves each making a meal off an insect. Some of 

 the plants of anglica were very fine, the leaves of this 

 species are more erect than those of rotu?idifolia, and 

 are therefore very conspicuous among the bog-moss. 

 After leaving this boggy ground we went over a spur 

 of the hill and down into a little valley, on the slopes 

 of which was growing Erica mediterranea. This 

 spot and one in County Mayo are its only British 

 habitats ; we were unfortunately too late for the 

 the flower. I only found one small sprig with two or 

 three flowers on it ; but when in full bloom it must be 

 a beautiful sight, judging from the large quantity of 

 withered flowers we saw. Growing about this place 

 was Saxifraga tcmbrosa (London pride) ; this is only 

 found truly wild in Ireland. 



From here we went on to Lake Bollard, one of 

 the larger ones seen from the top of Urrisbeg. There 

 is a spot near here where the true British maiden-hair 

 fern {Adiantiim Capillus- Veneris) grows, and I should 

 think out in this wild part, nearly fifty miles from a 

 railway station, it will be out of the reach of the 

 Vandal tourist for many years to come. It does not 

 grow very large here ; the specimens we saw were 

 only a few inches high. 



At the place we first struck the lake is a little cove 

 with a sandy strand ; here we started dragging for 

 aquatic plants, and were very well rewarded for our 

 trouble, almost the first haul brought to land a speci- 

 men of the rare Ej'iocaulon septangulare, a most curious 



