THE BOTANY OF THE BAEEOW. 15 



below Tinnehincli Bridge the river becomes somewhat satisfied 

 witli its course, and flows between its banks. From the mountains 

 to the bridge is a lake after floods. The Barrow now skirts the 

 east edge of Monettia Bog, into which I made a slight detour. 

 Curlew, golden plover, and gulls abounded. No plants of interest 

 were seen, excepting Veronica ncutellata, but I made little way 

 owing to the depth of the bog-holes. From this point a noticeable 

 feature is Salix pentandra, which is, however, a questionable native. 

 If it be introduced, it has now spread on to old bogs and unbroken 

 ground in many places between this and Monasterevan, and I think 

 it is very likely wrong to challenge it. I have little doubt it is 

 native in Donegal, Derry, and Antrim. A more interesting species 

 was, however, gathered here ; Carcx axillaris was discovered in its 

 second Irish locality. Mr. More, who saw my specimen, states that 

 a salt-marsh near Kinsale is the only other habitat whence he has 

 seen the true plant. Sir J. Hooker gives his opinion that it is 

 probably a hybrid between C retitota and either C. vtclpina or 

 C'. miiricata. "When I gathered it I took it for granted it was 

 a hybrid between C. remota and C. vuljrina, which both occurred 

 with it. I had not previously seen the plant. In the water Pota- 

 mogeton jjerfoliatns is common, and on its banks Kquisetum palustre 

 occurred. Some of these plants may be deemed unworthy of 

 notice, but the botany of this part of Ireland has hardly been 

 touched. I noted Thrincia hirta, as well as Apargia hispida, here- 

 abouts. This river works along through a plain, above which it 

 flows between artificial banks, which it can tear down and flood 

 when so disposed, and which make walking a villainous torture and 

 botany a fraud. Viburnum Opuliis and Salix pentandra are the only 

 objects of interest ; the former very pretty with its discs of white 

 standing out above the foliage. Somewhere about Two-mile Bridge 

 I got dreadfully entangled in hawthorn thickets, and saw Carex 

 acuta, which afterwards becomes frequent a little below the bridge. 

 Orchis Morio is very plentiful with commoner species, and along 

 here Ehawnus catharticus is very common. Thalictrum majus and 

 Scirfus syhaticus have their upper limit here. Adder's-tongue is 

 remarkably common, and Bromus cummutatus frequent. I reached 

 Mountmellick before dusk, glad to have accomplished what I 

 feared I should not be able to do in a day. I had now done the 

 river as far as Monasterevan ; it must be admitted in somewhat a 

 rapid fashion, but river species have usually a lengthened extent, 

 so that one is less likely to lose by rapidity than in other expeditions 

 of the kind. If a species be skipped along the banks it is most 

 probable it will give another chance lower down. 



Near Monasterevan the county boundaries of Kildare, King's 

 County, and Queen's County are most confusing, being sometimes 

 along the Barrow, sometimes along the FigileEiver, and occasionally 

 scooping cantles from each other regardless of all order and of 

 both rivers. 



On the 23rd June I made an excursion up the Black Kiver 

 northwards from Monasterevan. This river is, I think, larger at 

 this point than the Barrow, and is formed of three streams. Cushina, 



