Hart — Flora of the Mountains of Mayo and Galway. 713 



Apium graveolens, Bidens cernua, B. tripartita, Scirpus talernmmontani, 

 and Sparganium nutans, the latter being especially plentiful in a pond 

 about half way on the seaward side of the road. A -willow, apparently 

 Salix purpurea, in wet hedges along the roadside between Newport 

 and Westport, may be worth examining when in fiower, but it is pro- 

 bably planted. 



The mountains of Mayo considered so far lie to the north of Clew 

 Bay. I shall now describe the vegetation of those situated in the 

 southern part of the county. There is a considerable increase in the 

 variety of species to be met with both of lowland and mountain plants, 

 as compared with the barren district we are leaving behind. There is 

 also, fortunately, a considerable increase in the accommodation to be 

 met with; and, although there are no more maritime cliffs akin in 

 grandeur to those of Achill, there is far more loveliness of lake and 

 mountain scenery, ever increasing as we travel south to Connemara. 

 The most conspicuous feature on the southern side of Clew Bay, per- 

 haps in the whole west of Ireland, is Croaghpatrick, 2510 feet. This 

 mountain is easy of access from Westport, there being, I believe, a 

 bridle-path to the summit; and I had almost concluded, since no 

 plants of interest have been accredited to it, that it had been long 

 known to contain none, the more so since it appeared to be composed 

 of the inevitable and inhospitable quartzite. The '^ Cybele Hibernica " 

 has but two records from Croaghpatrick, Silene maritima and Armeria 

 maritwia, both unimportant. These are due to Dr. Patrick Browne. 

 The mountain has therefore been botanized ; and, since it is the Irish 

 locality for the only Irish alpine butterfly, Erehia Cassiopeia, as I am 

 informed by Mr. More, it has by no means escaped the attention of 

 naturalists. Fortunately, however, I determined to try for myself, 

 and a fine northern face of precipitous declivities looked and proved to 

 be worthy of a botanist's attention. Before describing the flora of 

 Croaghpatrick, I must say one word for the view from the summit. 

 It does not equal in grandeur that from Carran Tuohill, or in rugged 

 wildness thatfi'om Slieve Snacht West in Donegal; but, as I think, no 

 other point in Ireland, with its wide and varied prospect of lake and 

 mountain, island and ocean, gives a scene of such surpassing loveliness 

 as Croaghpatrick. 



" The Eeek," as this mountain was formerly called, sloping gradu- 

 ally to the water's edge as it does, is well suited for noticing the 

 vertical range of plants. Greater accuracy with the aneroid was per- 

 haps here arrived at than in the previous ranges, so that a more 

 copious series of observations will be recorded. These were chiefly 

 taken on the northern face, and on this face an interesting assemblage 

 of alpine plants was discovered. These were : Oxyria reniformis, Saus- 

 surea alpina, Jlialictrum alpinum, Asplenium viride, and Salix herlacea, 

 as well as other commoner ones, all in plentiful quantity. Saussurea 

 alpina has not been previously gathered in Mayo or Galway. Thalic- 

 trum alpinwn and Asplenium viride only in a single locality each. Carex 

 rigida, as is sometimes the case, is supplanted here by Carex fla/va. 



