11-12 4 Proceedings of the Royal Irisli Academy. 



the island are no longer to be found on it. The few descendants of some of 

 the trees of the forest that now struggle for existence in the little glen near 

 Portlea are the only representatives of what existed under the original con- 

 ditions on the island, and the associated Mosses and Hepatics, some of which 

 were not collected elsewhere on the island, are the scanty survivors of plants 

 that formerly occupied every nook and cranny that then were sheltered by 

 the forest, but now lie exposed to every storm and hurricane. The obvious 

 conclusion is that decay and recession have been at work amongst the species 

 of Mosses and Hepatics on the island, consequent on the degeneration and 

 cessation of the forest growth. 



The large number of our plants that have been found on the nearest 

 portions of the mainland, but which have not been met with on the island, 

 have survived there, while the same have been no longer able to continue 

 their existence on the island owing to the change of the environment. The 

 only associates of the forest growth that now survive on the sites of the 

 forests are a few Sphagnaceae. 



The irregular summit of Knocknaveen has for a long time been, and still 

 is, used by the inhabitants for peat-cutting, and consequently has not many 

 of our plants, the principal being several species of Sphagnum, Hypnum, and 

 Polytrichum. 



On the sands on Achill Island, at the mouth of Achill Sound, and at 

 Mulranny, several interesting species were gathered. There is only one 

 small bit of sandy shore on the island. It is north of the harbour and 

 Grania-Uaile's Castle. In it were found a few arenicolous Mosses. The 

 sand-dunes near Louisburgh, and some miles to the south-west, have scarcely 

 any Mosses and no Hepatics on them, all that were observed being Hypnum 

 lutesccns, Isothccium myosuroidcs, Tortula ruralis var. arenicola, Stcreodon 

 C7(,pressiforme. 



The omnipresence and abundance of peat, the small amount of land under 

 cultivation, and the frequent occurrence of outcropping rocks would lead a 

 botanist on a first visit to expect a rarer and richer flora of Bryophytes than 

 is actually met with on either the island or the neighbouring mainland. 



The spots on the mainland where the greatest number of Mosses and 

 Hepatics were found are : — The east slope of Croaghaun Mountain round 

 Lough Acorrymore, and the north-east side of Slievemore, along the sharp 

 ridge which extends from about 300 feet altitude above Dugort village 

 to the summit at 2200 feet (Mr. Pearson writes of this as " rich collecting 

 ground ") ; the wooded steep ground at Glendarary, in Sraheens ; and round 

 Knockacurraun Lough, in the heart of the (Jurraun peninsula. The neigh- 

 bourhood uf Lough Xakeeroge, which, from its position, would seem an ideal 



