Hart — Flora of the Wexford and Waterford Coasts. 121 



Elsewhere in Ireland it is only known sparingly from Kilcoleman 

 bog in Cork. Continuing my notes, I met with Apium graveolem, 

 8cirpus savii, ChenopocUum rubrum, and Rumex liydrolapatlium. The 

 latter is abundant in many places, especially in neighbouring swamps 

 on the west side of the lake. About Lady's Island I noticed Arte- 

 misia ahsijnthmm thoroughly established, ^ni^An'sa^s vulgaris amongst 

 the ruins on the island, Parietaria officinalis^ Bquisetum maximum, 

 (Enanthe crocata, Lepidium smifhii, Lycopus europceus very abundant, 

 and A)}themis- nohiUs. Saponaria officinalis is also established here. 

 At Lady's Island I found a " boycotted " publican ; here I rested 

 for an hour, and heard his side of the "burning question." I then 

 made my way by the shores of the lake to the sea coast, almost 

 to the point I left. I have already mentioned the distribution of 

 JDiotis maritima. Here the walking became very laborious, in soft, 

 heavy sand, along the narrow strip between Taeumshin and the sea. 

 The plants I noticed, rapidly diminishing, were : Glaucium hdeiim, 

 Atriijlex littoralis, Raphanus maritimus, and Polygonum aviculare, 

 var. littorajis, forming mats three feet long. After a while I was 

 alone on a sandy waste, a high bank of shingle and sand forming 

 a bar between the lake and the sea. I had gone a little way round 

 the shore of this lake at first inland, but it was low, flat, and 

 muddy, and the long strip of sandy coast looked more promising. 

 What was my horror, after about two hours' wearisome labour, to 

 find a swift blue torrent, over a hundred yards across, foaming out 

 of the lake into the surge of the sea. It was out of the question 

 to go back. I would have lost a whole day by doing so, and 

 nothing would have induced me to face that sandy trudge again. 

 There was neither boat nor human being in sight. I felt evilly 

 disposed towards several persons who knew where I was bound for, 

 and had not intelligence enough to warn me, and especially to- 

 wards the Ordnance Map, which is quite out of date for this 

 changeable coast. On the map is marked a channel from Lady's 

 Island Lake, and a continuous coast outside Taeumshin. The 

 reverse is the true state of things. With some misgivings, I 

 resolved to swim. This necessitated three journeys : one with my 

 knapsack, which I emptied on the opposite side ; one back with it 

 empty, and a third with my clothes, boots, &c., in the knapsack. 

 The knapsack floated bravely, and I towed it with a strap in my 

 teeth. Each time I started about forty or fifty yards higher up 



