G. H. Kinahan — On the Growth of Soil. 349 



tlie same spot year after year, and some of the hillocks after 

 a number of years are of a considerable height, some that were 

 measured in the county Cork being four feet high and nearly a yard 

 in diameter at the base. But the ants that build on rocks in general 

 appear yearly to occupy new places, but, perhaps, not always, as it 

 has been remarked in a few instances that the new work was carried 

 on in a place where other works had been in progress the previous 

 year ; but whether it was the same colony that worked the two suc- 

 cessive years I am unable to say. The rock-covering ants are un- 

 doubtedly the more useful animal, but the others have also a ser- 

 viceable place in nature, as they change a cold unprofitable peat into 

 a good vegetable soil. 



A fact in favour of vegetable decay as a soil-producer, and appa- 

 rently against worm-work, which was not alluded to in my previous 

 paper, may now be mentioned. The greatest enemy a gardener can 

 have to his grass-plots is the earth-worm, for, if allowed to live in 

 them, their appearance will be spoiled. To prevent worms frequent- 

 ing the place, previous to sowing the grass-seed or sodding the plots, 

 the gardener will place a layer of charcoal under the surface soil or 

 the sods, according to whichever plan he is following. The char- 

 coal, although it is a great preventive, will not quite eradicate the 

 worms, therefore after each cutting of the grass all worm-holes 

 must be carefully searched out, and a weak infusion of mustard and 

 water, or a decoction of Tussilago farfara ("Coltsfoot") poured 

 down each, which drives the worms to the surface, when they can 

 be picked off, and thus eventually they are all eradicated. After 

 the worms are all destroyed, if they were the only soil-producers, 

 the surface should not increase ; yet that it does is evident from the 

 growth up the pedestal of flower vases, and on the edges of the 

 walks and flower beds. It must be admitted, however, that the 

 iacrease is very small, the vegetable decay being at a minimum, by 

 reason of the constant, artificial, removal of the grass-crop. 



A remarkable instance of the growth of soil was observed in the 

 Moycullen hills, the south-east group of mountains in Yar-Connaught, 

 Co. Galway, Ireland ; at a lake called Slieveaneena Lough. This 

 lake lies on the north and south water-shed between the river-basins 

 of the Corrib and Boliska [^anglice, The Black water], and has two 

 outlets, one leading respectively into each of the rivers just men- 

 tioned.^ Formerly this lake, during low water, only flowed into the 

 Corrib river-basin, the eastern margin being naturally lower than 

 the western. The former, however, was composed of drift, while 

 the latter was a bare granite rock ; therefore on account of the small 

 quantity of water flowing from the lake during the dry months of 

 the year, and the moist nature of the climate, bog grew on the drift, 

 while it could not on the granite, and eventually the eastern bank 

 out-topped the western, so that now during low water there is a 

 westward stream, and only during the winter months can the water 

 flow east as well as west.^ Lough Slieveaneena occupies about 



1 Memoirs Geol. Survey of Ireland, Explimation of sheet 105, p, 6. 



2 At the present time there is an artificial drain cut towards the east through the 



