HARD IV I CKE ' S S CIE NCE-GO SSI P. 



121 



IN WILD CONNEMARA. 



By G. C. DRUCE, F.L.S. 



OMMENCING at 

 Westport our hun- 

 dred miles walk 

 through Conne- 

 mara, by visiting 

 the demesne of the 

 Marquis of Sligo, 

 we gathered on our 

 way, GLnanthe 

 crocata and Lache- 

 nalii, Circcea lute- 

 tiana, and Chryso- 

 spleniitm oppositi- 

 folium — the latter 

 not altogether 

 above suspicion 

 of being one of 

 the carnivora, for 

 its hairs held cap- 

 tive several insects. 

 A bridge over the 

 river was a lovely sight, from the profusion of Scolo- 

 petidrium, Trichomanes, and Ruta-muraria with which 

 it was covered. The shores of Clew Bay yielded 

 Silene maritima, Armeria, and Senebiera didyma. 

 The view of the bay was at first disappointing, but as 

 we ascended the heights above the bay, its hundred 

 islands, which looked like the mainland before, now 

 assumed their true character, and from their number 

 and variety of shape and size produced a very striking 

 effect. 



Westport appears to be a rapidly diminishing town, 

 and its ambitious-looking quays and harbour are but 

 now of slight use. It has a very good hotel, and a 

 little brook (planted on either side by trees) runs 

 before its door, gives it a picturesque appearance, but 

 generally speaking the houses are very bad indeed, 

 possessing no garden or chimney. The roofs, how- 

 ever, support a great number of plants, such as the 

 oat, mustard, herb robert, and even, in some places, 

 potatoes. But leaving Westport, on our course to 

 Leenane, we began to pass through country of a 

 more truly Hibernian character ; peat- walls bounding 

 No. 1 86. 



the road, by whose side deep dykes of water fur- 

 nished habitat for plants which cultivation has ren- 

 dered scarce in our own island. 



Beyond the dyke and turf wall lay the bog, 

 covered (and this is true of almost any bog through 

 Connemara) with the beautiful Anagallis tenella in 

 the utmost abundance — a beautiful sight, with its 

 delicate, waxen-like corolla. Amid the water, 

 showing its beautiful blossoms, was Hypericum EloJ>\. 

 Then Pinguicula hesitanica, a most eager insect-eater, 

 its small leaves being curled up over a mass of debris, 

 and the bright spikes of star-like flowers of Narthecium 

 ossifragum were also common, while Drosera rotten- 

 difolia, intermedia, and anglica were covering the 

 turf. Anglica appeared to be the great carnivorist, 

 the quantity of viscid secretion poured out from its 

 glands being most extraordinary. The heaths Tetralix 

 and cinerea were, of course, plentiful ; and, thickly 

 growing over the whole of the boggy land, the 

 bright-looking Rhynchospora alba, with the sombre 

 Molinia cccrielea, formed by no means an unpleasant 

 contrast, while the strange Schaimts nigricans made 

 up in variety what it lacked in beauty. But sur- 

 passing these were the great waving plumes of 

 Eriophornm angnstifolium and vaginatum, which 

 were also very common. Add to these the eye- 

 purging Euphrasy E. officinalis, J 'uncus squarrosus, 

 compressus, and acutiflonts, Ranunculus flammitla, 

 Epilobium palustre, Stachyspalustris, Senecio aquaticus, 

 Lythrum salicaria, and Filix-fcemina, and some idea 

 may be formed of the rich profusion of uliginal and 

 paludal plants which were continually in view. We 

 were too late for the Carices, but some specimens of 

 binervis, pulicaris, stellulata, ovalis, and Jlava were 

 still to be found. About four miles from Westport 

 a more than usually deep dyke attracted notice, and 

 soon we saw the lovely bells of Dabeocia poli/blia, 

 the delicious colour of its flower with the cottony 

 under-surface of its leaves, glossy green above, was 

 viewed for the first time with great delight. The 

 peduncles were thickly strewn with viscid glands, on 

 which several insects were usually fastened. In this 

 same dyke, too, we saw our first Osmunda, and a 



