62 The Irish Naturalist. March, 



From June 22 to June 30, 1908, was a time of glorious sun- 

 shine. Newmarket-on-Fergus is rather far from the river, but 

 is a good centre for exploring the prettiest and most interesting 

 district in South Clare, the country drained by the Sixmile- 

 bridge river — the " Owenogarney " of the maps, which has its 

 outfall at Bunratty Castle. The uplands are limestone crag, 

 excellent pasturage, or else bush crag quite overgrown with 

 Hazel and other scrub, often as impenetrable as a tropical 

 jungle. The bottoms are chains of lakes, interesting homes 

 of Pondweeds, Reeds, and Sedges. 



Unfortunately that capable County Surveyor, antiquary and 

 engineer, Hill, took them in hand about fifty years ago and 

 lowered the levels of all of them by an intricate drainage 

 scheme which cannot at all have repaid its cost. The boggy 

 swamps laid bare have little natural value, and the disturbance 

 of the conditions of wet and dr}- has spoiled the landscapes, 

 and probably caused the destruction of interesting plants and 

 animals. Another effect, and one that has not been investi- 

 gated, is that the work has laid bare the sites of crannoges, of 

 which we noticed some indications. There are still old men 

 who remember the remains disclosed by the drainage, and we 

 hope the attention of some active 3'oung antiquary on abicjxle 

 ma3^ be called to this enquiry while it is yet time. 



Rat Island is on the top of a flat reef of rock which lies imme- 

 diately north-east of the high Coney Island, and guides the flood 

 tide of the Fergus into its main channel. It is a bank of gravel 

 like Sand Island or Trummera Big, on the Limerick shore, 

 and nourishes a similar vegetation ; Glyceria festticcrformis 

 was the first plant to greet us. Aster Tripolium, Artemisia 

 maritima and Statice rariflora grew with it. The centre 

 was all high tussocks of Festuca arimdinacea (some specimens 

 5 feet high) and R^imex crispiis, among which grew Anthdscus 

 sylvestris and Sonchits arvensis. 



Landing on the steep beach, where the current scours the 

 eastern side of the hill, which is Coney Island, we noticed 

 instantly the imposing Atropa Belladojina. This interesting 

 plant has naturalised itself all round the island in the interval 

 between the beaches and the pasture land. It is surprising 

 that it has not established itself in the neighbouring Deer 

 Island, where the conditions are quite similar. Coney Island 



