i9i8. Scully- — Lathyrus maritimiis in Kerry. 115 



great storm in this place [Inch sand-hills, Dingle Bay] 

 whereby the sand was blown about so furiously, that a 

 large herd of cows were driven off the peninsula, the poor 

 animals chusing rather to betake themselves to the enraged 

 ocean, where many of them were drowned, than to be 

 overwhelmed on shore. Several of them swam across the 

 bay, near two miles, through the highest waves imaginable, 

 and saved their lives." 



Comparison of the last two Ordnance maps issued for 

 this district, one based on a surve}^ made 1841-42, the 

 other made in 1899, shows that these sand-hills have 

 experienced very extensive changes even during this period 

 of less than 60 years. Those on the Rossbehy side appear 

 to have undergone an eastward movement varying from 

 100 yards to quite 200, while those on the north side of 

 the bay have shifted about 100 yards to the west. Such 

 changes as these would fully account for the temporary 

 or even the permanent disappearance of this plant. 



The Sea Pea is not a common species anywhere in the 

 British Isles. It occurs, at long intervals, from the Orkneys, 

 round the east coast, to Sussex and Dorset on the south. 

 Elsewhere, it has a very wide range, chiefly northern, in 

 Europe, Asia, and North x\merica. In its Rossbehy station, 

 which I purposely leave vague, Miss Hilliard reports that 

 there are one or two good sized patches of the plant, and 

 it is much to be wished that any future gatherer Vv-ill be 

 as sparing of the Sea Pea as its rarity and interest to Irish 

 botanists fully warrant. 



This most welcomie proof of the persistence of Lathyrus 

 maritimiis in its only Irish station finds an interesting 

 parallel in the history of Rubus Chamaemorus reported 

 from the Tyrone mountains in 1826 and not seen again 

 until refound there in 1892 b}'^ Messrs. Hart and Barrington,. 

 as recorded in this Journal (vide vol. i., p. 124). 



Dublin. 



A 2 



