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A VISIT TO ROUNDSTONK, CO. GAIAVAY. 



BY PROF. T. JOHNSON, D.SC. 



A COMMITTKK was recently appointed by the Royal Irish 

 Academy to take steps to complete, as far as possible, our 

 knowledge of the Fauna and Flora of Ireland. hor this 

 purpose a portion of the annual government grant, at the 

 disposal of the Academy for scientific investigations, was set 

 apart by the Council, and, as one of the committee appointed, 

 I spent a week in September last investigating the marine 

 algae of Roundstone Ba}', Co. Gal way. 



The district of Roundstone, almost at the foot of the famous 

 Twelve Pins of Connemara, is one of the most interestins: in 

 Ireland, and in the early part of the century was called the 

 land of promise in natural history. In 1835 Professor C. 

 Babington, of Cambridge, in company with the late Mr. J. 

 Ball and another friend, visited Connemara, and discovered a 

 number of rare and interesting objects of natural history. An 

 account, full of interest, of the journey is given in the 

 Magazine of Nahiral History (vol. ix., p. 119 ct seq.) Subse- 

 quently Professors D. Oliver, J. H. Balfour, Harv^ey, Dr. D. 

 Moore, Mr. A. G. More, etc., visited the district, and added 

 considerably to the knowledge of its natural history. During 

 his 1835 journey Professor Babington met W. M'Calla, of 

 whom he says he was *' the son of the landlord of the inn at 

 Roundstone, — a 5^oung man, who, although labouring under 

 very great difficulties, has, by his own unassisted exertions, 

 with an almost total want of books, obtained a very complete 

 knowledge of the geology, mineralogy, conchology, and 

 botany of the neighbourhood of Roundstone. He has now, I 

 am happy to learn, obtained the situation of national school- 

 master at Ballinahinch." M'Calla's name, as many of my 

 readers know, and as this kindly notice would lead one to 

 expect, became well known in Irish natural history, and is 

 perpetuated in the species Cladophora macallana, Harv., as 

 well as in his excellent Algcs Hibemiccs, two volumes of sea- 

 weeds, prepared by M'Calla, mostly from specimens obtained 

 at Roundstone. I made it my duty to find out all I could 

 about M'Calla and his collections. I interviewed one old man, 

 Patsy Ashe, living in a cabin on the mountain-side, who 



