THE SUBDIVISION OF IRELAND Ixxiii 



Ireland. Grass land occupies 38 per cent, of the surface, crops 23 

 per cent., barren mountain land 24|- per cent., turf bog 7 per cent. 

 For information concerning the flora I rely almost entirely on the 

 " Flora of Donegal," Mr. Hart having devoted many years to work- 

 ing out the botany of this and the neighbouring division. 



Flora 684 species, rich in many groups. Calcicole plants are 

 necessarily restricted in range if not in numbers ; light-soil 

 species are poorly represented ; the Scottish and alpine types 

 form a noticeable feature, and the rarest plants belong chiefly 

 to these groups : — 



Trollius europseus, 3. Hieracium sparsifolium, 3. 



Corydalis claviculata, 5. Hieracium auratum, 4. 



Cardamine amara, 6. Bartsia viscosa, 7. 



Silene acaulis, 4. Euphorbia hiberna, 11. 



Saxif raga umbrosa, 11. Salix nigricans, 3. 



Saxifraga aizoides, 5. Elymus europseus, 5. 



Ligusticum scotieum, 5. Equisetum pratense, 3. 

 Hieracium argenteum, 4. 



35. Donegal West. 



North-western. Area 1011 square miles. Maritime, with an 

 extensive and much indented shore-line, sentinelled by numerous 

 islands, of which Aranmore is the largest, and Tory the most out- 

 lying. This area is composed of ancient metamorphic and igneous 

 rocks, which form a magnificent coast-line, where the Atlantic has 

 eaten into these tough materials. The whole surface is mountainous, 

 and the higher summits (Errigal, 2466 ; Muckish, 2197 ; Dooish, 

 2147 ; Slieve League, 1972) rise over a sea of lower hills, where 

 gorse, heather, rock, and boggy lakelet form the leading features. 

 A considerable area of Carboniferous limestone extends along 

 Donegal Bay in the south. Lakelets are numerous throughout. 

 The rivers are mostly mountain torrents. No less than 35 percent, 

 of the surface is barren mountain land, 32 per cent, is under grass, 

 14 per cent, crops, 10 per cent, turf bog. 



Flora 680 species ; rich in mountain plants belonging to various 

 groups, Hibernian, Alpine, and Scottish ; and poor in calcicole 

 and light-soil species. No plant is confined to this division, 



