Hart— Ow the Botany of the River Suir. 329 



rations lie in District 2. The river and railway are nearly parallel 

 for several miles, and several tributaries have considerably increased 

 the former. Seirpus lacustris first appears now, and Carex vesicaria, 

 a local plant, has become common. Another local species, 

 CEnanthe phellandrium, afterwards common and characteristic of 

 the Suir, first shows itself at Oloon bridge by a small stream flowing 

 into the Suir. In its company was Eanunciihis heteropMjUus, var. 

 florihundus. After Cloon bridge (Enanthe is abundant; the early 

 fresh green leaves, with their floating lace-work pattern, are very 

 beautiful objects, Carex acuta occurs here too, and Nuphar lutea in 

 a few places. Other larger water plants appear, as Hippuris vul- 

 garis, Alisma plantago, Veronica anagallis, V. beccabunga, and Eqtti- 

 setum limosum. Caltha palustris is not common, and Eiqjatorium 

 cannabinum very scarce. Here the country was much flooded, 

 and the river often undistinguishable from the surrounding 

 swamps ; this was in the neighbourhood of Loughmore. Nymphcea 

 alba and Polygonum amphibium are very plentiful. LysimacMa 

 vulgaris was met with also — a plant confined to the banks of 

 the larger lakes and rivers. Here the river makes a loop to the 

 westward, and the banks being quite unapproachable for about 

 half a mile, a detour was unavoidable. In the hedgerows I 

 noticed Viburnum opulus, Acer campestre and Rosa armnsis. 

 Again resuming our walk, or rather flounder, along the side of the 

 channel, I noticed Ranunculus lingua and Armor acia amphibia, 

 both — especially the former — local in Ireland. Both may be seen 

 close to Thurles, which we were now approaching, Carex vesicaria 

 is very frequent near Thurles also. We had been for some time 

 travelling in an element which is usually traversed with boats, and 

 we were not sorry that nightfall and Thurles came together with 

 a cessation of labour. The intermediate stage in a river — that 

 between a swift upland stream and a deep and certain lowland 

 channel — is often the worst to deal with, as if it was for a time 

 uncertain what its destination was eventually to be. In the latter 

 part of this day's walk many birds at their breeding haunts enlivened 

 our interests. Sedge warblers, redshanks, wild duck, teal, black- 

 headed gulls, and other commoner birds, as well as perhaps some 

 rarer ones, inhabit these swamps. This pursuit could not be studied 

 without some time spent in boating. 



On the following morning we made an early start from Thurles. 



