Hart — Report on the Botany of MacgilUcuddyh Reeks. 573 



LXXIX. — Eepoet upox the Botany of the Micgixlicuddt's Eeeks, 

 Co. EJEEET, By H. C. Habt. 



[Eead, April 24, 1882.] 



Os the 13tli July, 1881, I reached Glencar Hotel, at the "westem 

 extremity of the Eeeks. This hotel, upon the hanks of the river 

 Caragh, is a favourite resort for anglers ; and a hetter head- 

 quarters for those who are in search of mountain scenery could 

 not he selected in Ireland. Prom here I frequently traversed 

 the "whole length of the range, making my way into Killarney 

 at night, and returning over the mountains in another route the 

 following day. I spent fifteen days amongst the Eeeks, and, hy 

 using cars or hoats as much as' possible below, I passed most of 

 those days high up amongst the numerous alpine cliffs and ridges, 

 or in the neighbourhood of some of the mountain tarns. 



The Eeeks stretch from their eastern extremity at the Gap of 

 Dunloe to the end of the Beenbane spur, above the road from 

 Glencar to Cloon Lake, a distance of about ten miles west from 

 the Gap. The road fi'om Glencar to the Gap is a northern bound- 

 ary, while the Black Yalley, and the valley of the Caragh define 

 the southern Limits of the range. 



From Lake Auger in the Gap of Dunloe a series of precipitous bluffs 

 carries us up at once to a height of nearly 2000 feet, which goes 

 on increasing along a serrated ridge till it reaches 3000 feet above 

 Lough Cummeenapeasta, about two and a-half miles west of the 

 Gap. This ridge can be traversed then for the whole extent of 

 the range, and forms the grandest bit of mountaineering to be met 

 with in Ireland. For several miles it maintains an altitude of 

 about 3000 feet, sometimes narrowing into a jagged knife-edge, 

 and here and there descending abruptly into some of the nume- 

 rous lakes nestled amongst the precipices below. Upon reaching the 

 highest point, Carran Tuohill, 3414 feet, a northern branch extends 

 to Beenkeragh, 3314 feet, and to Skregmore, 2790 feet ; while the 

 axis proper carries us on by Caher, 3200 feet, and Curraghmore, 2680 

 feet, down to the head of Cummeenacappul, where lies a gap in the 

 ridge, which forms a connexion between Cummeenacappul on the one 

 side and the valleys of Caragh and Cummeenduff (" Black Yalley ") 

 on the other or south side. This gap is perhaps the proper western 

 extremity of the Eeeks; it lies, however, at about 1000 feet above 

 sea level, and the Beenbane spur rises again fi'om it to the westward, 

 finally descending to a low level at the river Caragh. The latter ap- 

 peared, therefore, the more natural boundary. 



The Eeeks are composed for the most part of hard green and 

 purple grits, and sandstones of the geological formation of Old Eed 

 Sandstone age. In consequence of the firmness of these rocks, the 



