19^4- Praeger. — Z)^<f Flora of A chill Island. 267 



thev have a way of doing on Achill--and only a few of the 

 characteristic mountain plants were observed. Spergularia 

 ?-upcst7'is, found at Dooagh, but not at the time recorded, was 

 an addition to the West Mayo flora. 



Last July, I devoted ten days to an examination of Achill 

 botany. The weather was favourable, though there was the 

 usual share of rain and mist, especially around Croaghaun. 

 The mountain cliffs and lakes were tolerabl}' well explored, 

 and observations ranged from Achill Head to Inishbiggle, 

 and from Saddle Head to Camport. The only part of the 

 island that I should have liked to visit, but could not, was 

 the extreme southern corner, including Achillbeg. While 

 ni}' exploration was in no way exhaustive, I think my lists 

 are sufhcientl}^ complete to warrant comparison with other 

 areas in the west. 



Physicai, Features. 



The Island of Achill, the largest island on the coast of 

 Ireland, lies close to the mainland in the County of Ma5^o. 

 Its area is 50, or, including the adjoining islets of Achillbeg 

 and Inishbiggle, 57 square miles. In vShape it is roughly a 

 right angled triangle, one of the shorter sides lying north and 

 south opposite the mainland ; the other, forming the northern 

 shore of the island, stretching westward into the Atlantic. 

 The intervening channel is narrow, varying in width from a 

 couple of hundred yards to four miles, and in recent years 

 the narrowest point has been bridged. The island is com- 

 posed of gneiss, mica schist, and quartzite. Quartzite forms 

 the precipices of Croaghaun and Meenawn, gneiss the noble 

 ridge of Slievemore. It is the more enduring nature of the 

 gneiss that has resulted in the hard dripping rocks on 

 Slievemore ; the quartzite weathers faster, into shattered 

 crags and barren slopes. The lower grounds have usually a 

 covering of drift, but this, in turn, is over the greater portion 

 covered with peat bog. Blown sand occupies a considerable 

 area behind Trawmore, and occurs also in several spots in 

 the north-east of the island. 



