58 I^rof. Dr. Ferdinand Roemer — A Visit to Ireland. 



2000 to 3000 feet in height, not wooded, which, stretch through the 

 counties of Cork and Kerry from east to west as a strongly linked 

 chain. They consist of very steep banks of grey and reddish 

 sandstones, and quartz rocks of the Old Red formation. The charac- 

 teristic fossil fish found in this formation in England and Scotland 

 scarcely show a trace of their existence in the corresponding Irish 

 rocks. Igneous rocks of the porphyry class have broken through the 

 Old Eed Sandstone at certain points. It is on the borders of the 

 Carboniferous Limestone, and between it and the Old Eed Sand- 

 stone, that the Lakes of Killarney are situated. The strata of the 

 former are here raised at a great angle, and towards the south occur 

 among those of the Old Eed Sandstone as apparently later deposits. 

 The attractive feature of these lakes, which every year brings 

 thousands of visitors and sight-seers, depends principally on the 

 beautiful forms and mighty precipices of the Old Eed Sandstone peaks, 

 which on the south surround these lovely sheets of water. At the 

 same time the lakes themselves, with their numerous islands and 

 rich clothing of verdure, are beautifully picturesque. This vegetation, 

 of a wonderfully luxuriant growth, favoured by an exceedingly mild 

 and humid climate, consists in part of evergreen plants, among which 

 is conspicuous the strawberry tree {Arbutus unedo, L.), otherwise con- 

 fined to the countries bordering on the Mediterranean. We ascended 

 Mangerton, which rises to a height of 2756 feet, from the summit 

 of which an extensive view over the lakes and their surrounding 

 country rewards the visitor. These mountains, however, clothed to 

 their tops with a thick garment of verdure, do not offer good subjects 

 for geological investigation. Mangerton is not by any means the 

 highest point of the Old Eed Sandstone mountains, as Carrantuohil 

 (3474 ft.), lying further to the west, overtops it considerably. 



Another excursion was undertaken from Dublin to the north- 

 west districts. The Earl of Enniskillen, whose researches on the 

 subject of fossil fishes have made his name known far and wide, 

 had the kindness, on ascertaining my presence in Ireland, to 

 invite me to his residence at Florence Court, near Enniskillen, 

 in order to inspect his celebrated collection. The town of 

 Enniskillen is situated at the southern extremity of Lough Erne, 

 in the Co. Fermanagh, and Florence Court is a few miles to the 

 south. For three days I enjoyed the proprietor's hearty and 

 thorough hospitality at this magnificent demesne, while most 

 agreeably occupied under his guidance with the examination of his 

 collection. From every country, and out of every formation, are 

 gathered, in this magnificent collection (the result of forty years' 

 labour), the finest specimens of fossil fish. It has but one rival in 

 England, viz. Sir Philip Egerton's collection at Oulton Park, 

 in Cheshire. Both the Earl and Sir Philip, connected for many 

 years by bonds of friendship and common studies, having had their 

 ichthyological tastes developed by Agassiz, have cultivated them 

 and made collections together. In many respects the one collection 

 forms the counterpart of the other. Florence Court is also well 

 known to palseontologists as the original locality for certain fossil 



