10 2 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



land in Europe. This district includes many groups of mountains, the higher 

 ones rising to about 2000-2600 feet, with wide areas of lower undulating 

 ground. On both high and low ground, peat predominates, and often 

 stretches unbroken over wide areas, with a limited and monotonous 

 vegetation. The coast-line is very broken and irregular, with outlying 

 peninsulas and islands. In the area with which we are concerned, the large 

 island of Achill, swathed in bog and almost treeless, stands boldly out, 

 separated from the mainland by a narrow, shallow strait. 



South of Achill, Clare Island, Inishturk, and Inishbofin lie in a string off 

 the coast, separated from each other by channels about 5 miles in width. 

 Clare Island is the nearest to the mainland (3 miles) ; Inishturk the furthest 

 (9 miles). Clare Island is much the highest (1520 feet), and also the largest 

 (6£ square miles). The islands all lie in the full sweep of the rollers and 

 storms of the Atlantic. The prevailing winds are off the ocean — west and south- 

 west. The rainfall may be taken at about 60 inches. The climate is mild and 

 moist — mean January temperature about 43° F. ; mean July temperature 

 about 58° F. The western side of all the islands is cliff-bound, and desperately 

 exposed ; the popidation and cultivation are huddled in sheltered nooks, and 

 towards the eastern side. 



2. EXTENT AND CHARACTER OF THE FLORA OF CLARE 

 ISLAND. 



Prior to the expeditions of 1909-1911, the Flowering Plants and their 

 allies were the only section of the natural history of Clare Island about which 

 anything was known, and as regards them, this knowledge was of recent date. 

 In July, 1903, my wife and I had spent a week investigating the flora of the 

 island, and the results were in the course of a few months communicated to 

 the " Irish Naturalist." 1 In this paper the flora is described and listed, and a 

 few notes on the plant-formations are given. The vegetation of the island as 

 noted on that occasion proved more varied and more interesting than was 

 expected. The list of species ran up to over 360, the most striking 

 feature of the flora being the occurrence of an extensive colony of 

 alpines at a comparatively low elevation on the sea-scarp of Croaghmore. In 

 the course of the survey of 1909-1911, much general work fell to me as 

 organizer and secretary, otherwise the amount of time spent on the island 

 would have permitted of a very detailed floristic study. As it was, little 



1 R. LI. Pkaeger: The Flora of Clare Island. Irish Nat., xii, pp. 277-294. 1903. 



