1898.] 251 



RECENT FlEIyD CLUB PUBLICATIONS. 



Paft II. of the Journal of the Limerick Field Club is to hand. The onlj' 

 natural histoiy contribution — and the first that has appeared in this 

 publication — is a paper on " The Flora of the Limerick District," com- 

 piled by Dr. W. A. Fogert}', and representing the work of several 

 botanical members. It is to be noted that Dr. Fogerty is not responsible 

 for the determination of the plants which he records. We cannot refrain 

 from expressing the opinion that it might have been advantageous to 

 have had the authority of some botanists of recognised standing — say the 

 editors of the new Cybde — when making the startling announcements 

 which we find in this paper. It rather takes one's breath away to find 

 among the plants of the Limerick district Stellaria neinorum, Trinia 

 '■'■ glabberina,^^ Peticedanum officinale^ Caricm segehun, Hypocharis glabra^ Sonchus 

 palustrisy Veronica iriphyllos^ Damasojimm stellafuni, and Luztila arcuata, not 

 one of which is included in the Irish flora. And this shock somehow 

 spoils our pleasure in noting the discovery near Limerick of such rare 

 or critical Irish plants 2i^ Fuinaria densiflora, Vicia Orobus, Epilobium roseum, 

 Arctium 7?iajus, and Melampyriun sylvaticum. Then the reading of the 

 paper is made painful by the extraordinary misspellings with which it is 

 crowded. " Menyanthis trifoliati " and " Epipactus violacise " are bad 

 enough, but they are surpassed b}^ " Vailantii " {^^Vaillantii) and 

 " Sparangium" {=Sparganiicm). Only one word more before we leave 

 this subject. The paper closes with a list in which " eighty species are 

 recorded as additions to the flora of the district" (i.e., District VI. of 

 Cybele Hibernicd). But if from these eighty species we eliminate a large 

 number of the merest casuals, and others which we are sadly afraid are 

 mistakes, we have a comparatively small list of plants, the majority of 

 which have been already recorded from the district in various papers- 

 some by Corry in his " Notes of a botanical ramble in the County of 

 Clare." "• many others by Stewart in his " Report on the botany of South 

 Clare and the Shannon," ^ others again in Mr, Colgans recent paper 

 " On the flora of the shores of Lough Derg" 3 ; and others elsewhere. In 

 conclusion, we cannot but feel regret that still another should be added 

 to the appalling number of publications through which the present-day 

 naturalist must drudge if he wishes to make sure that he is overlooking 

 no record in any group at which he may be working. There can be no 

 objection to one of our Field Clubs publishing a Journal for matters of 

 purely local interest, but a paper which gives— or purports to give — 

 numerous additions to the flora of Ireland and of District VI. cannot be 

 so described. We have already in Ireland half a dozen channels through 

 which such information may pass to the public ; surely this number 

 ought to sufiice for the publication of matters relating to Irish natural 

 history. 



^ Proc. Belfast Nat. Hist, and Phil. Soc, 1879 -So. 

 - Prof. P./.A>, 3rd s., vol. i., no. 31, 1890. 

 3 /.xV., vi., pp. 189-197, 1897. 



