262 The Irish Naturalist. [November, 



Previous investigation having been almost confined to the 

 limestone, we made for the Old Red Sandstone uplands of Slieve 

 Felim the following morning. As on the previous day, the 

 roadsides for miles were ga}^ with the white umbels oi Pimpinella 

 viagna. A halt at a roadside quarry-hole yielded Le^mia 

 polyrhiza again. Beyond Cappamore w^e (Dr. G. Fogerty, Mr. 

 O'Brien and I) alighted, and worked across the remains of a 

 large bog, now almost entirely demolished. The typical bog- 

 flora had nowhere survived the draining and cutting ; Os7nu7ida 

 and Lastrea spinulosa were the best plants seen. Dr. Fogerty 

 and Mr. O'Brien have since explored the less plundered bogs 

 at Castleconnell, and filled a number of blanks in the I^imerick 

 list, for bogs are almost absent in that county. After lunch at 

 Doon, we struck in among the hills, working chiefl}- up the 

 fine glen of the Bilboa river. Satisfactory results were achieved 

 in the addition of a large number of calcifuge plants to the 

 list, though most of them possessed no special interest : the 

 best plants found were Rubus saxatilis, Agrimonia odorata 

 (new to VI.), Ca7xx pendtda, Lastrea Oreopteris, L. cBviula. On 

 our long drive home Fest^ica Myuros was gathered near 

 Cappamore. 



Next morning before breakfast Mr. O'Brien took me to see 

 in situ the best of all the Limerick plants — Scirpus t^iqueter, 

 which he had found only a few days before. As a British 

 species this is extremel}^ rare. It is confined to the tidal 

 reaches of the Thames, the Arun in Sussex, and the Tamar, 

 which separates Devon from Cornwall. And here, on the 

 muddy forevShore just below lyimerick Docks, Mr. O'Brien 

 showed me the plant growing abundantly. The proximity to 

 the shipping suggested the possibility of introduction ; but Mr. 

 O'Brien has set this point at rest by a series of explorations 

 which show that it grows profusely on both banks of the 

 Shannon for about five miles below Limerick, nor is the extent 

 of its range yet fully defined. The discoverer had better be 

 allowed to speak for himself: — **I took a boat and dropped 

 down the river about five miles. There can be no doubt, I 

 think, that it is native ; it grows by the rood together, like 

 grass, on both sides. I traced it down as far as the bottom of 

 Tervoe reach on the Limerick shore, That may be its limit, 

 as the water gets rougher there, but I expect to find it in the 



