546 Mad-ay's Flora Hihernica. 



Ireland : an elegantly written and accurate work, containing, figures of the rarer 

 species. About this time I was appointed assistant botanist in Trinity College; 

 and to the liberality of that learned body I am indebted for many facilities 

 afforded me of investigating the botanical productions of Ireland. In 1806, I 

 published a catalogue of the rarer plants of the country, which were principally 

 observed by me during two very extensive excursions made through the south- 

 ern and western counties. This catalogue appeared in the 5th volume of the 

 Transactions of the Dublin Society. 



" In 1810, Mr. James Drummond, then Curator of the Cork Botanic Gar- 

 den, published a catalogue of the plants of the county of Cork ; a catalogue 

 highly creditable to that acute and zealous naturalist, who now fills the situa- 

 tion of Colonial Botanist at Swan River, and whose labours will, no doubt, 

 illustrate the botany of that interesting region. 



" In 1824, I gave to the Royal Irish Academy, for publication, a catalogue 

 of all the phasnogamous plants and ferns which I had then ascertained to be 

 natives of Ireland. This catalogue was the result of twenty years' observation 

 during numerous excursions made to almost every part of the country that was 

 likely to afford interesting matter to the botanist. A few inaccuracies occur 

 in this and the former catalogue, which subsequent experience has enabled me 

 to rectify. Whilst thus employed, I always looked forward to the pubhc- 

 ation of an Irish Flora, as the final result of my investigations ; an intention 

 which I had announced in the preface of my catalogue, which appeared in 

 1823. 



" I, however, then contented myself with recording accurately the habitats of 

 such plants as I had observed, or which had been communicated to me by able 

 botanists, being induced to postpone the publication of the work till a later 

 period, with the view of making it as complete as possible : nor is this delay to 

 be regretted, as I have since had an opportunity, by excursions made to Cun- 

 namara and other parts of the country, of adding several interesting plants to 

 our flora; and valuable contributions have continued to be made by my friends, 

 down to the latest hour of going to press. 



" In 1833, a small volume appeared, entitled the Irish Flora, containing short 

 descriptions of most of the phaenogamous plants and ferns of Ireland that were 

 were known up to that time. 



" The limits of a preface do not permit my entering into detail ; but almost 

 every page of the work bears evidence of the zealous assistance of my botani- 

 cal friends, and the extent of my obligations. I cannot, however, omit men- 

 tioning the late Mr. Templeton of Malone, near Belfast, who greatly contributed 

 to our knowledge of the plants and animals of the north of Ireland. To Dr. 

 Drummond of Belfast I am indebted for several interesting species of Alga?, 

 thus rendering that part of the work more complete than it otherwise would 

 have been. 



" Mr. David Moore, my late pupil, has supplied some of the more recent and 

 interesting additions to our flora, among which I may mention Pyrola se- 

 cunda, i?6sa Sabim, and Carex Buxbaumw, as the most interesting. He has 

 distinguished himself, during the last two years, by his researches in the county 

 of Derry, where he has been employed as botanist to the Ordnance Survey ; 

 which, under the able superintendence of Colonel Colby and Captain Port- 

 lock, is likely to throw much light on every branch of natural history connected 

 with Ireland. 



" The first part of the work contains the phaenogamous, or flowering, plants, 

 ferns, and characeas, arranged according to the natural method, on the plan 

 adopted by Professor De Candolle in his Theorie E'l^mentaire, 2d ed. ; and 

 Professor Lindley, in his Synopsis of the British Flora. I have been induced 

 to adopt the natural system, not only because it is the method followed by 

 Dr. Allman, the learned Professor of Botany in Trinity College, and which, 

 although more difficult to beginners, is best calculated to give the student an 

 accurate knowledge of the science ; but, as the Linnsean method enables us to 

 ascertain the genus of a plant with greater facility, a Synopsis of the Genera 



