Iviii INTEODUCTION 



points near Tuam, of 557 and 543 feet elevation, dominating the 

 whole division. As in Gal"way SE., the surface is covered vi'ith 

 woods and bogs in many places, especially in the east, the comitry 

 becoming bleaker towards the west, with a good deal of grey lime- 

 stone pavement ; but the Connemara mountains act as a shield 

 against the fury of Atlantic gales, and the surface is less bare and 

 inhospitable than that of division 15. The Suck, which forms the 

 eastern boundary, is the only considerable river. For many miles, 

 the western boundary is formed by Lough Corrib, and some small 

 lakes are found in the NW. Several fine esker-ridges raise their 

 green slopes for miles over the level surface. Grass land occupies 

 59 per cent, of the surface ; crops IH per cent. ; turf bog as much 

 as 13 per cent. The flora of this area was till recently almost 

 totally unknown, and our knowledge of it, resting solely on my own 

 explorations, is still incomplete. The centre, western edge (Lough 

 Corrib) and south-east (Clonbrock neighbourhood) alone have been 

 examined. In the north-east there is a wide area of limestone country 

 which no botanist has ever visited. 



Flora 608 species. The most interesting feature is the prolon- 

 gation northward of the Burren flora along the bare limestone on or 

 near the shores of Lough Corrib. Eare or characteristic species : — 



Fumaria densiflora, 4. Epipactis atro-rubens, 4. 



Vieia Orobus, 4. Habenaria intacta, 5. 



Potentilla frutieosa, 4. Potamogetonlanceolatus, 2. 



Galium sylvestre, 6. Eriocaulon septangulare, 7. 



Asperula cynancbica, 8. Cbara eanescens, 3. 



Gentiana Yema, 5. iXitella tenuissima, 2. 

 Eupbrasia Salisburgensis, 6. 



18. King's County. 



Central. Area 772 square miles. A typical Central Plain 

 county. In the SW., the western slopes of the Old Eed and Silurian 

 highlands of Slieve Bloom (Arderin 1733 feet) belong to this division, 

 but elsewhere the level limestone stretches, covered with vast bogs, 

 tillage, woods, and marshy meadow-land, so that Croghan Hill 

 (769 feet), the stump of a little volcano rising in the NE., forms a 

 conspicuous landmark through all the neighbouring counties. The 



