220 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



grit. I had put many leading questions to my companion "with a 

 hope of extracting some reliable information on the natural history of 

 the district, and I may be excused for repeating the following : — 

 "In Lough Yeagh, or the 'white lake' (one of those which I had 

 visited yesterday, btit which, as is frequently the case, has a different 

 name on the map), the people get pearl mussels. Three or four men 

 went there lately with oilskins and dived for them. These come off 

 an enormous animal called the ' carrabuncle,' which is often seen 

 glittering like silver in the water at night. This animal has gold and 

 jewels and precious stones hanging to it, and shells galore ; the inside 

 of the shells shines with gold. The divers hoped to have caught the 

 ' carrabuncle' himself." This shining appearance in the water of the 

 Kerry lakes is alluded to by Smith, who gives it the same name, 

 though without a full explanation like the present. It is to be hoped 

 the " carrabuncle " will find its way to our new National Museum. 



Turning a deaf ear to my cicerone's remonstrances, and telling 

 him to meet me by what way he chose on the summit, I made my 

 way into the cliffs by a somewhat dangerous gully, at about 1650 feet 

 above level. After a stiff climb for 300 feet, I came on the best 

 alpine ground in Brandon, better than any on MacGillicuddy's Eeeks. 

 This extended for about 400 feet vertically, and contained Saxifraga 

 affi,nis, Oxyria reniformis, Saussurea alpina, Cysfopteris fragiUs, Poly- 

 stichum lonchitis (very sparingly), Asplefiium virids, Alclieinilla alpina, 

 and other commoner mountain plants. At 2500 feet there occurred a 

 small patch of Scotch heather, ISrica cinerea, an unusual elevation. 

 These alpines were abundant on wet ledges and banks of broken and 

 precipitous ground. Having rounded the head of this glen above 

 Cooinaknock lakes, I came out on the ridge and followed it north- 

 wards by the head of the Feany valley. Salix Jierhacea and Carex 

 riyida occurred plentifully, and as usual above the other alpines, or at 

 least in more exposed situations. About a mile and an eighth north 

 of the summit of Brandon along this ridge, and close to the ruins of 

 an old signal tower, I discovered Polygonum viviparum, a high alpine 

 species, not known in Ireland south of Ben Bulben, in Sligo. From 

 here I struck down the west side of Brandon and walked into Dingle. 



On the 11th I examined the coast from Dingle westwards round 

 the harbour and along the outer shore to Ventry. The formation 

 along here is often of slate, which forms polished walls and slides, and 

 leaves little scope for plant-growth. Between Dingle and Milltown, 

 by a road that would be a disgrace to the Desert of the Exodus, 

 Erodium moschatum grows. I have not seen this plant in remoter 

 sandhills or anywhere except in obviously suspicious localities in 

 Ireland. Vicia angiistifolia and Lotus major were noted along the 

 ditch banks, and by Burnham Bridge is a plentiful establishment of 

 Scropliidaria aquatica at the mouth of a brook. Along the coast here 

 Lord Ventry, adopting Smith's suggestion {History of Kerry, p. 180, 

 note P), has introduced Hippoplia rhamnoides for fencing and binding 

 together the sandy soil. It has not thriven to such an extent as at 



