34 ^ The Irish Naturalist. [Feb. 



Thomas Allin, departs from Babington's boundary, and adopts instead 

 " a line drawn along the Killarney Junction Railway from the border of 

 Co. Kerry to Millstreet, thence running across the country in a straight 

 line to Macroom, thence in a similar line to Bandon and from that town, 

 following the Bandon River, to the sea. "* This line appears to have been 

 wisely chosen, dividing the western mountainous portion of the county, 

 with its Atlantic, Highland, and American plants, from the more level 

 tract, with its calcicole and Germanic species. The latter district (1,747 

 square miles) being still considerably larger than the largest of the 

 counties which it is not proposed to subdivide, is conveniently divided 

 into two by the Great Southern and Western Railway from Charleville 

 fo Cork, and thence by the western shore of Cork Harbour to the 

 ocean ; this line forms approximately the western boundary of the 

 Carboniferous limestone. The great county of Cork is thus divided into 

 three parts of almost equal area, the size of each being about that of an 

 average Irish county. As regards the division of Co. Cork, I have 

 had the advantage of the hearty co-operation of Mr. R. A. Phillips, whose 

 knowledge of the Cork flora is well-known, and who suggested to me 

 the sub-division of the county adopted in this paper. 



Kerry. — In Babington's scheme Kerry is divided into two vice- 

 counties by a line following the River Flesk, the northern shore of the 

 Lower Lake of Killarney, and the River Laune. Mr. R. W. Scully, F.i,.s., 

 whose researches in the Kerry flora readers of this Journal well know, 

 has kindl}' favoured me with his views. He points out that the Dingle pro- 

 montory, which Babington includes in North Kerry, belongs botanically 

 to South Kerry; and this, indeed, Babington himself admits in his 

 paper. ^ Mr. Scully also kindly informs me that when his forthcoming 

 /^/^^-^^A^rry is published, the distribution of species will probably be shown 

 by baronies ; it will therefore be an advantage to use barony boundaries 

 in fixing the Kerry vice-counties ; and the best division is evidently a 

 line separating the baronies of Magunihy and Trughanacmy on the one 

 hand from Glanarought, Dunkerron, Iveragh, and Corkaguiu}^ on the 

 other; this forms roughly a N.W. and S.E. line, and divides the county 

 into a mountainous south-western part, composed of Silurian and 

 Devonian rocks, intersected by deep bays, and rich in alpine and Atlantic 

 plants, and a more level and less maritime north-eastern portion, com- 

 posed of Carboniferous limestone, and Coal-measures. Mr. Scully agrees 

 as to this being the best division of Kerry into two vice-counties. 



GaIvWAY. — Connemara forms a division in every way distinct, and 

 Babington's line correctly cuts off the mountainous metamorphic 

 maritime district lying west of Lough Corrib, with its peculiar flora, 

 from the inland limestone plain of East Galway. The latter area is so 

 very extensive (1,613 square miles, twice the size of an average county), 

 that there can be no doubt as to the desirability of forming it into two 

 vice-counties, and a convenient east and west dividing line is formed by 



Cp. cit., Introduction, p. xii. ^p. 536, line 1-3. 



