SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



^7 



MOSSES AND HEPATICS OF MOURNE MOUNTAINS. 

 By Rev. H, W. Lett, M.A., MR. I. A. 



{Continued from page 31.) 



nPHE summit of Slieve Donard, though it does not 

 produce much for which the botanist cares, 

 must be visited, for there are a few interesting plants 

 to be found on it ; and from it the slightly lower 

 elevation of Slieve Commedah, 2,512 feet, on the 

 west of the White River Glen can be easily reached 

 by descending towards the south as far as the neck 

 which joins the two mountains, and then going 

 west and ascending by a gradual slope to the long, 

 narrow ridge of Slieve Commedah. Both sides, or 

 rather edges — for they are almost vertical — of the 

 ridge are worth searching. The lower portions of 

 Slieve Commedah are known as Shanslieve, Slieve- 

 namaddy and Slievenabroch, and their rocky 

 surfaces abound with mosses and hepatics. The 

 glen to the west of these is the Spinkwee River 

 Glen, the water, after flowing through it, unites with 

 the Shimna Stream, in Tullymore Park. Besides 

 most of the foregoing, the following additional 

 plants occur in this portion of the mountains : 

 Sphagnum acutifolium, vars. arctum, ascendens and 

 deflexum, S. cymbifolium, var. congestum ; Andreasa 

 rothii, var. hamata, A. cmssinervis and var. holtii; 

 Dicranella heteromalla, var. sericea, D. cerviculata ; 

 Dicranum scottii, D. fuscescens, D. scoparium, var. 

 tnrfosum : Dicliodontiiim pellucidiim, var. seriatum ; 

 Onchophorus stviatus : Mollia viridula ; Barbula unguicu- 

 lata : Grimmia obtiisa, var. subsiniplex ; Bartramia 

 ithyphylla ; Sphaerocarpus palustyis ; Isothecium 

 myurum, var. elongatum ; Eurhynchium strictuni, E. 

 pyaelongum ; A inblystegium riparium : Hypnum ochra- 

 ceum ; Lepidozia setacea ; Cephalozia coniiivens; Cin- 

 cinnulus trichomanis ; Plagiocliila asplenoides ; Aplozia 

 sphaerocarpa, A . crenulata ; Marsupella emarginata, 

 var. jninor ; Blasia pnsilla. 



It may encourage botanists to be told that all the 

 above-named plants have been found within three 

 miles of Newcastle, and the district I have des- 

 cribed for them embraces but a small bit of the 

 Mournes. Doubtless other plants occur, but 

 those only which are known have been referred to. 



The plants found in other parts, which have not 

 yet been mentioned in this paper, remain to be now 

 noticed, and several of them have not been recorded 

 hitherto from any other place in Ireland. 



Tullymore Park, in which is a picturesque 

 residence of the Earl of Roden, is only two miles 

 distant from Newcastle. It is densely wooded, and 

 some of the trees are of fine growth. The Shimna 

 River traverses the length of the park, and the 

 moist atmosphere which always hangs over the 

 deep and rocky banks of the stream is conducive to 

 the production of mosses and hepatics. The park 



is about three miles in length, and contains several 

 glens. Besides most of the more common species 

 that may be expected in such a spot, I have 

 gathered within the boundary of the park walls 

 Orthotyichum styamineum, 0. lyellii, 0. styiatum ; 

 IVeissia byuchii, W. ulophylla and var. inteynudia, 

 W . phyllantha ; Mnmmrostratum; Baybulaspadicea, B. 

 yevoluta, B. convoluta ; Grimmia apocaypa, a. peculiar 

 elongated green form ; Zygodon viridissimus ; Seckera 

 complanata ; Homalia lyichomanoides ; Thamium alope- 

 cuyum : Byac/iythecium glayeosum ; Rhyncostegium 

 confeytum; Plagiothecium pulchellum ; Mollia veyticdlata , 

 M. ayiiginosa and var. yamosisimum, M. tortuosa, var. 

 aiigustifolia : Lejeunia calcayea ; Phragmicoma mackaii ; 

 Cephalozia sphagni; Tyicholea toinentella ; Blepharostoma 

 tyichophylla : Pellia calycina ; Asteyella hemispheyka ; 

 Aneuya pin7iatifida ; Mctzgeyia conjugata, M.fuycata. 



After the places already mentioned, I think the 

 north-west region of the Mournes is the most interest- 

 ing for the cryptogamic botanist. This can be best 

 explored from Hilltown, a village where comfortable 

 accommodation can be had at the "Downshire Arms. " 

 This place is called from Hill, which is the Marquis 

 of Downshire's family name, and not, as some 

 have supposed, from its propinquity to the hills of 

 the Mournes. Several rare mosses occur near 

 Hilltown. I found it a particularly good district for 

 Sphagnacea. Making Hilltown my headquarters, I 

 have easily visited, in a few days, the Cock and 

 Hen Mountains, the Deer's Meadow, Pigeon-rock 

 Mountains, Butter Mountains, Spelga, Spaltha, 

 Kinahalla, and many others, all within a reasonable 

 tramp. These produced the following additional 

 plants ; Sphagnum squarrosum, var. teres, S. cuspidatum 

 and var. plumosum, S. moUe and its var. mulleri, 

 S. ienellum ; Andyeaa yothii, A. falcata ; Anisothecium 

 yubyitm, A. yu/escens ; Grimmia orbicularis: G. 

 canescens, var. ericoides ; Tortula subulata ; Cinclodotus 

 fontinalioides ; Hypnum rcsupinatum, H. stramincum ; 

 Homalothccium scricium ; Pleuyozia purpurea ; Cepha- 

 lozia divayicata ; Scapania uliginosa ; S. umbyosa ; 

 Chiloscyphus polyanthos; Plagiocliila spinulosa; Jungcr- 

 mania pumila ; Aneura multipda. 



The Deer's Meadow, in which the River Bann 

 rises, is a plateau at a very considerable elevation 

 in the bosom of the mountains. The name was 

 probably given to it as being the haunt of the red 

 deer in the days when there were such animals in 

 the district. Another name by which it was called, 

 was the " King's Meadow," because people had 

 their grazing in it free. It extends some two miles 

 in length and one and a-half in breadth. A 

 century back great numbers of poor persons 



