70 NOTES ON IKISH NATURAL HISTORY. 



The mixture of the foliage of holly, arbutus, and yew, with 

 the rugged moss- or lichen-stained rocks, is different from 

 what one sees elsewhere. Embarking again, the boat coasted 

 along Ross Island, the bugleman extracting some fine echoes 

 from the ivied walls of the old castle, the wild ducks continu- 

 ally flying off the water before us, and circling high above us 

 in the air, and dozens of corvorants, squatted on their tails, 

 watching our movements from the naked little rocks which 

 just peep above the surface of the water. We passed between 

 the islands of Ross and Jnnisfallen, and either my vision had 

 been long unaccustomed to trees, or those on Innisfallen, par- 

 ticularly the ash and holly, were unusually majestic in size 

 and beautiful in figure. Indeed it looked like a fairy island 

 raised by magic out of the placid water ; and I cannot much 

 wonder at the strange legends of O'Donohue and his milk- 

 white steed, which are so implicitly believed, that an Irish 

 maiden fell in love with the imaginary chieftain, and actually 

 plunged into the crystal waters of Lough Lane, in hopes that 

 after death, her spirit might meet with his ; this tale sug- 

 gested one of Moore's sweetest melodies. — 



" Of all the fair months that round the sun, &c." 



But the wooded heights of Tomies are paying back the 

 notes of Gandsey's bugle ; so — 



" Sweet Innisfallen, fare thee well ! 



And long may light around thee smile 

 As soft as on that ev'ning fell 



When first I saw thy fairy isle ! 



Thou wert too lovely then for one 



Who had to turn to paths of care ; 

 Who had through vulgar crowds to run 



And leave thee bright and silent there." 



Landing again where the huge buttresses of Tomies moun- 

 tain, densely covered with birch, oak, arbutus, holly, and yew, 

 come down to the edge of the lake, I made my way to O'Sul- 

 livan's cascade, in hopes of finding on its shady and moss- 

 covered rocks the rare Trichomanes, but I was disappointed. 

 Abundance of Hymenophyllum, intermixed with luxuriant 

 mosses, covered every stone ; and the most graceful form of 

 Lastroia dilatata waved its feathery fronds from every crevice 

 where it could find a footing, and every plant had its pin- 

 nules crisped and concave, giving it that appearance which 

 Mr. Babington has elsewhere noticed. Here I will take leave 

 of the lake for a short time, and ascend the mountains. 



The mountains of this district appear to be divided into 



