Hart — On the Flora of South -West JJonegal. 447 



Slieve League, east of the summit, descends on the inland side in 

 a series of north-facing declivities, intersected by several steep gullies, 

 to the coom, containing Lough Agh. The wet schistose cKffs of this 

 part of the mountain, which is elsewhere mainly quartzite, have 

 disintegrated to a rich yellow, heavy clay, lying on the ledges and 

 hollows, and by the sides of the various gullies. AVith the keenest 

 satisfaction I discovered that this ground still harboured a considerable 

 remnant of our oldest flora, and that those alpine species occurring do 

 so as a rule profusely, in some places monopolizing the soil. The 

 following is a list of these alpine species occurring on Slieve League. 

 Some of these, however, descend to sea level, even so far south as 

 Kerry. These have found our moist climate so satisfying, that they 

 have passed out of their limits, and cannot be called alpine in 

 Ireland : — 



Thalictrum alpinum. Polygonum viviparum. 



Dryas octopetala. Oxyria reniformis. 



Sedum rhodiola. Salix herbacea. 



Saxifraga stellaris. Juniperus nana. 



S. aizoides. Carex ligida. 



S. oppositifolia. Poly sti chum lonchitis. 



Saussurea alpina. Asplenium viride. 



Hieracium- angKcum, Fr. Lycopodium alpinum. 



H. iricum, Pr. Selaginella selaginoides. 



Arbutus uva ursi. Isoetes lacustris. 

 Yaccinium vitis-idsea. 



Of these, Dryas and hollyfern are additions to the county list. 

 Both have previously been erroneously recorded from other places 

 in Donegal. 



Two others, Sesleria cceruha and Galium horeale, occur at no great 

 distance from Slieve League, in this barony of Banagh, so that tlie 

 alpine total for this neighbourhood reaches twenty -three. The rest of 

 the county only fia-nishes, besides Hieracia, three more alpines, Braba 

 incana, Silene acaulis, and Carex aquatilis,^ none of which occur on the 

 higher mountains. Slieve League can, I think, hold its own against 

 any Irish mountain for its number of alpine species. Considering its 

 small extent of suitable ground, this is satisfactory. The total alpines 

 of the county is also, I believe, as large, or larger, than any other.^ 



Many of these species reach an unusually low level on Slieve 

 League, and as I was careful to observe the altitudes with my 



- These Hieracia have been kindly determined for me by Mr. J. Backhouse. 



^ C. aquatilis of Donegal is the lowland form, C. watsoni, and should probably 

 be classed amongst the " northern," not "alpine" group of Watson. 



^ Pending Mr. Banington's Eeport on Ben Bulben, I cannot speak with 

 certainty. 



