10 50 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



consist of Bromus mollis, Holcus lanatus, and Festuca sciuroides ; almost all 

 the impurities are common local plants. 



Alopecurus agrestis. N Plantago lanceolata. 



A. pratensis. N Ranunculus ?acris. 



N Anthoxanthum odoratum. R. ?bulbosus. 



* Bromus mollis. N Ruuiex Aeetosella. 



N Cerastium triviale. N Sherardia arvensis. 



N Cynosurus eristatus. * Sonchus asper. 



N Festuca sciuroides. Trifolium ?procumbens. 



N Hypochaeris radicata. 



Samples 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are reported as free from impurities, except 

 for a few Galium seeds in No. 7, and a few seeds of Polygonum Convolvulus in 

 No. 10. 



Although these samples do not represent the seed being actually brought 

 into Clare Island at the present time (on account of the new regime referred 

 to), they do represent the kind of seed which has been in use there for many 

 years past — except that probably the samples have been often much more 

 impure. 1 The impurities in the samples give us, therefore, some idea of the 

 alien seeds that have been showered down on the island year by year. Our 

 present object being the question of the introduction of alien seeds into the 

 district, we may take the various samples together as forming a single piece of 

 evidence. 



It will be seen that the majority of the extraneous seeds belong to species 

 which are common on Clare Island, about half of them as natives, and half as 

 plants of the cultivated land. 



The balance, which are not found on Clare Island, include — 

 Ranunculus ?bulbosus. c Plantago media or 



Barbarea vulgaris. { P. Rugelii. 



Erysimum ?cheiranthoides. Digitaria filiformis. 



Alyssum calycinum. / D. ciliaris or 



Silene noctiflora. ( D. sanguinale. 



Lychnis vespertina. Setaria glauca. 



Trifolium agrarium. S. viridis. 



T. ?procumbens. Pbleum pratense. 



Anthemis arvensis. Alopecurus pratensis. 



Cuscuta Trifolii. A. agrestis. 



Calamintba ?Acinos. 

 Of these only four (Ranunculus hdbosus, Barbarea vulgaris, Phleum 



1 For instances of the gross impurity of much agricultural seed before the passing of recent acts 

 and the founding of seed-testing stations, consult T. Johnson : The Principles of Seed-testing. 

 Science Progress, i, pp. 483-495, Jan., 1907 ; and H. C. Long: Weeds (supra cit.), chap. xi. 



