18 NOTES ON IRISH NATURAL HISTORY. 



painful. I began to think the bone was sphntered, and that 

 I might perchance meet with an effectual stop, if I persisted 

 in bearing up against it : so I made a halt, took off my knap- 

 sack, and throwing it on a bed of Menziesia, sat myself down 

 and examined my wound. I did not like its appearance, and 

 waited for chances. 



I sat for an hour, or rather perhaps lay, for I went to sleep ; 

 and a party of police, who had been spending a night in 

 Clifden, to superintend "a pattern" which had been going 

 on there, happened to come by on their way to their quarters. 

 They had a queer vehicle ; it was like a liOndon brewer's dray 

 in nakedness, but with this difference, that the wheels were 

 under the bed of the vehicle, so that they could sit over the 

 wheels and dangle their legs down, as in an outside car. Of 

 course they gave me a lift, and deposited me safely at Flynn's 

 half-way-house, — a wonderful place, and the residence of a 

 whole colony of Flynns. I shall never forget the kindness of 

 the people at this place : they made me an excellent firciin 

 my bed-room, brought in an enormous dinner, — a fowl killed 

 on purpose, a pile of potatoes, eggs and bacon, beyond all 

 possibility of consumption, bread and butter, and whiskey a 

 discretion. The next morning I could not walk ; so I got a 

 lift by Bianconi's car. Leaving Flynn's there is a most sweet 

 lake — Lake Shindella — to the right, with such beautifully- 

 wooded islands, it was like a land of enchantment. After 

 Shindella was passed, there came a line of lakes along the 

 road to the right, and finally these issued in a river, and this 

 river still accompanied the road, but was so overshadowed by 

 a fringe of huge Osmunda regalis, that the stream!jwas often 

 lost to sight, though its course was abundantly marked by this 

 luxuriant fern. 



The road towards Galway is cut beside the river Feogh, a 

 picturesque although small stream. It runs rapidly over lime- 

 stone slabs, and similar slabs often overhang its waters, par- 

 ticularly where it enters the village of Oughterard. Here, 

 for many hundred yards, a beautiful skreen of the greenest ivy 

 is suspended from the bank above, and actually dips its ex- 

 tremities in the rushing river, forming caves and grottoes that 

 naiads and water-nymphs might be proud to occupy. The 

 stream falls over a succession of ledges, and just after pass- 

 ing Oughterard, it flows under one huge slab of limestone, 

 and is soon lost in the waters of Lough Corrib. The slab or 

 mass of stone forms a natural bridge, over which passes the 

 road to Galway. Here the country becomes more cultivated, 

 and planting to a very great extent is going on. The face of 

 the country is very curious, displaying the most wonderful 



