THE SUBDIVISION OF lEELAND li 



passes in interest that of the mainland hills. Excepting the 

 Shannon, which borders the county, the rivers of Clare are insig- 

 nificant, but lakes of all sizes are abundant, and are widely 

 distributed. Grass 61 per cent. ; crops 18 per cent. ; barren 

 mountain land 10 per cent. The greater portion of Clare is of low 

 elevation, 61 per cent, being under 250 feet. The exploration of 

 this area is still incomplete. The fascinating flora of Burren and 

 Aran has attracted many observers, and the north is now well 

 known, but the great tract lying east of the Fergus is still almost 

 unexplored, and the centre offers a promising field for research. 

 The Shannon estuary has been investigated by Mr. Stewart. 



Flora 712 species. The most striking feature is the inter- 

 mixture of southern plants and alpines, in immense profusion, on 

 the bare limestone of Burren and Aran, but a number of other 

 plants very rare in Ireland occur, which do not belong to either of 

 these groups. Astragalus Hypoglottis and Ajuga pyramidalis are 

 confined to the division. Bare or characteristic plants are 

 numerous, and include : — 



Matthiola sinuata, 2. Euphrasia Salisburgensis, 6. 



Helianthemum vineale, 2. Orobanche rubra, 5. 



Viola hirta, 5. Teucrium Scordium, 7. 



Viola stagnina, 4. -A^juga pyramidalis, 1. 



Viola lutea, 5. Epipactis atro-rubens, 4. 



Arenaria Terna, 3. Habenaria intacta, 5. 



Geranium rotundifolium, 5. tSisyrinchium angustifolium, 5. 



Astragalus Hypoglottis, 1. tJuncus tenuis, 4. 



Spirsea Filipendula, 2. Potamogeton lanceolatus, 2. 



Potentilla fruticosa, 4. Eriocaulon septangulare, 7. 



Galium sylvestre, 6. Scirpus triqueter, 2. 



Asperula cynanchica, 8. Calamagrostis Epigeios, 3. 



Gentiana verna, 5. Adiantum CapHlus- Veneris, 6. 



Limosella aquatica, 2. Polypodium Dryopteris, 4. 



10. Tipperary North. 



South-central. Area 810 square miles. Inland. The middle 

 portion of this division consists of heathery mountains formed 

 of Old Eed and Silurian rocks, the highest point being Keeper 

 (2278 feet) . The remainder is occupied by low limestone country, 



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