A Visit to Roundstoni\ Counfy Galway. ^jc^ 



The Irish Naturalist (April, 1S92), one interesting group, only 

 revealed within the last few years, is that of the microscopic 

 algse found perforating the shells of mollusca, &c. Of these 

 I made a large collection at Roundstone, and am now engaged 

 in their identification. The western shore of the bay, on 

 which the town stands, is not a very good locality for collect- 

 ing, the weeds north of the town being dirty and somewhat 

 uninviting. South of the town there is an improvement, 

 increasing as the mouth of the bay is reached. I found tlie 

 rock-pools south of The Beaches, between Gorreen and Dog's 

 bays, those on the south-west point of Inishnee (an island 

 between Roundstone and Birturbui bays), those north of the 

 landing place at Moyrus, on the mainland (where beds of 

 Zostcra and Lithothamnion calcarcwn are exposed at low water 

 in spring tides), those on the islands of Croagnakeela (locally 

 Deer Island, and difficult to land upon), and MacDara, the 

 most promising localities for shore-hunting. On the island 

 of Saint Mac Dara there are the ruins of a church, 12 x 12 ft., 

 with only a little of the stone roof left, with walls three feet 

 thick, and a peculiarly constructed east window. Close by 

 are several stone tablets with inscriptions, readily traceable 

 apparentl}^, but, up to the present, I am told, uninterpreted. 

 Botanists will be interested to know that Saint MacDara is 

 locally highly revered as the patron saint of the new potatoes, 

 which come in in July. It is the custom to throw water on 

 the boat's sails three times, in passing the island, to avoid ship- 

 wreck. On the only afternoon I had free from my weeds I 

 was taken by Mr. Frank M'Cormick over the northern 

 shoulder of Urrisbeg (998 feet) to see the only habitat in the 

 district of Adiantujn capillus-veiicris (the Maiden-hair fern) 

 growing in the crevices of a rock, facing south-west, at the 

 extreme north-east corner of Lough Bulard. Spite of the 

 recent very dry season, the spoliation by tourists, and the 

 injudicious application to the surface of the rock of cement, 

 the species is as well established here as when visited by 

 Babington 60 years ago. I spent some fruitless time one 

 afternoon in a waning light searching {ox\.\i^r2iX^Naias flcxilis 

 in the lake in which Professor D. Oliver found it in 1850. 

 Though an unfortunate stoppage of my work for some weeks, 

 since my return from Roundstone, has prevented me from 

 examining more than a small part of my collection, I am con- 



