282 The hish Naturalist. November, 



representative — belongs to the same category. This flora is 

 confined to the cultivated area, and only here and there has 

 it wholly escaped the effects of tillage. It is best seen in the 

 north-east of the island, where a series of little east-and-west 

 valleys harbours a comparatively luxuriant vegetation. Here 

 there is even an attempt at natural wood — a low scrub of 

 Corylus^ Salix cinerea, S. atirita, Betiila pubescens, Ilex, and 

 Pyrus Aucuparia, five to ten feet in height, and sheltering a 

 growth of Conopodium demidatuDi, Sa7iiaila etiropcsa, and Scilla 

 nutans. But the majority of the limited woodland plants, as 

 will be mentioned later, find a refuge by mountain rivulets 

 and on clifis. In these favoured little valleys grasses and 

 herbaceous plants grow several feet in height, and one may 

 see clay fences covered with grand hedges of Osmunda grow- 

 ing five feet high. In the meadowland the most conspicuous 

 plant is Lythru7n Salicaria \ and Equisetum maximu7?i is un- 

 usually abundant, extending also to exposed ground, where it 

 attains a height of only a few inches. Cnicus prate7isis, also 

 remarkably abundant over the island, reaches its maximum 

 in the meadowland, where it frequently bears branched stems 

 with several (2 to 8) heads of flowers. Vicia Cracca here and 

 there forms large tangled beds of greyish foliage and blue 

 blossoms. Brambles are common along banks and walls in 

 this zone, but, though embracing interesting species, are 

 apparently in no great variety — see the notes later on. 



The M00RI.AND Fi,ORA. — Beyond the limit of cultivation — 

 which on Clare Island is usually not higher than 200 feet — 

 the moorland area extends, in its various forms of dry banks, 

 stony heath, marsh, bog, rock, and cliff. On the higher ground 

 (1,000 — 1,500 feet) the peat-forming association is better de- 

 veloped, and the summit of Croaghmore consists partly of 

 heathy and partly of spongy bog. On dry banks, Sediwt 

 a7iglicu7n,Jasione 7no7ita7ia, and Thy7)ius Serpylhmt are abundant 

 and showy. Everywhere the three common heaths {Caltu7ia 

 vulgaris.^ Erica letralix, E. ci7terea) are to be met with, up to 

 the summit of Croaghmore (1,520 feet). None of the western 

 heaths (Dabeocia polifolia^ Erica mediterranean E. Mackaii) re- 

 warded a constant search. Ulex europcBus is confined to the 

 east of the island, where there is plenty of it : Prumis spi7iosa 

 likewise, but in much smaller quantity. Where the ground 



