March, 1907. The Irish Naturalist. 113 



THE FLORA. OF INISHTURK. 



BY R. U.OYD PRAEGER. 



Inishturk lies off the Mayo coast, half-way between Clare 

 Island to the north-east and Iuisbofin to the south-west. It 

 is further from the mainland than either, being seven miles 

 out from the nearest point, as against three and a quarter in 

 the two other cases. It is also much smaller than either, 

 having an area of 2J square miles, as against Bonn's \\ square 

 miles (Inishark included), and Clare's 6 \ square miles. In 

 elevation it is intermediate. Clare Island rises to 1,520 feet, 

 with a colony of alpine plants. Bofin has no point over 300 

 feet. A large part of Inishturk is over the last-mentioned 

 elevation, and its highest points are 629 and 588 feet. 

 Geological^, the three islands are similar, being composed 

 mainly (Bofin and Turk exclusively) of Ordovician and 

 Silurian slates and schists. Bofin is the richest of the three 

 in fresh water area and as regards sandy shores. These 

 physical features should be borne in mind when the flora of 

 the three islands is compared. 



General Features. 



In shape, Inishturk is oblong — much the shape of 

 Ireland itself, but with its longest diameter W.S.W. instead 

 of S.S.W. The coast is very little indented by bays or creeks, 

 and the single tiny harbour is not oversafe in a ground-swell. 

 The shore is everywhere rocky, save for one spot south of 

 the harbour, where a few square yards of sandy beach rise a 

 couple of feet above storm water-mark. Salt marsh is entirely 

 absent. On the northern and western sides there are high 

 cliffs, which rise to 400 feet in one place, and the coast is 

 exceedingly broken and picturesque. Elsewhere the ground 

 rises from the shore in a bold slope. There are four main 

 elevations on the island — in the N.E-, N.W., S.E., and S.W. 

 respectively, and rising to 428, 629, 588, and 240 feet ; and 

 between are rather deep valleys, which afford greater shelter 

 than the general appearance of the island would lead one to 

 expect. The slates are everywhere thrown into a series of 



A. 



