1901. pRAKGKR. — Botanical Field-work in 1900. 4 1 



Accordingly I cycled westward, sampling the bogs now and 

 then and always getting Rhynchospota Jusca. The Shannon 

 was crossed at L,anesborough, and a dead straight road led 

 north-west to the base of the hill. Slieve Bane is a long smooth 

 north-and-south ridge, with twin points rising to 857 and 839 

 feet. It is a simple, denuded anticline, the limestone of the 

 plain lapping against Old Red Sandstone on its flanks, and 

 this in turn against the Ordovician rocks which form the mass 

 of the hill. The grassy slopes capped with brown heather 

 above, looked quite hopeless, and I devoted my attention to 

 the streams, ascending one rivulet and descending the further 

 slope by another, and recrossing the hill by a similar pair. 

 This exhausted all the ground I could see that appeared to 

 offer the slightest chance of success,, but not a trace of the 

 plant was seen. Lastrea Oreopteris was the only uncommon 

 plant found on the hill. Heavy rain set in as I rode back to 

 Lanesborough, but I did some desultory botanizing on both 

 sides of IyOUgh Ree during the afternoon, getting Teucrium 

 Scordium abundantly everywhere, though in Barrington and 

 Vowell's report it is stated to become rarer towards the north end 

 of the lake. Early next morning I migrated to Ballinamore in 

 L,eitrim, and spent the day round Garadice L,ough. Plants 

 were few and rain heavy, but the day's work was accomplished 

 in the filling of fifteen blanks in the Iyeitrim list. Polygonum 

 minus grew abundantly here, not only on the lake-shore, but 

 in the potato fields. The Calp limestone produces a strongly 

 calcifuge flora, as was well shown in the potato fields, which 

 were choked with a luxuriant crop of Senecio sylvaticus, Bidens 

 tripartita, Galeopsis Tetrahit, and Polygonum Hydropiper. On 

 the 23rd I took train to Drumshanbo, and sampled the south- 

 end of L,ough Allen amid continual thunder-showers. 

 Polygonum minus was met with again, though not recorded 

 in Mr. Stewart's report, and other calcifuge species. Passing 

 through Drumshanbo, I came eastward towards Ballinamore, 

 but the lakes, which here form the best ground for botanical 

 operations, were hopelessly high, and at Lough Scur my five 

 years' field-work came to a conclusion amid lightning and 

 deluges of rain. 



National Library, Dublin. 



