960-1901.J z&z. 



followed his plough." De Lacy's castle at Trim is a formidable 

 pile on the left bank of the Boyne ; it is called King John's 

 Castle, because it is said that King John stopped in it for a 

 time. The ecclesiastical remains in and around Trim are very 

 numerous, and are very fully described in Wilde's '' Beauties of 

 the Boyne" and Conwell's u Rambles Round Trim," as well as 

 in the writings of the Very Rev. Dean Butler, late Rector of 

 Trim, whose influence in the locality contributed to the pre- 

 servation of the many interesting ruins as we now find them. 



Having occupied so much space with the distinctive 

 characteristics of Meath — namely, its archaeological features — 

 we have little left for the purely natural history notes. We 

 cannot omit to refer to the simply gorgeous display of Rosa 

 Arvensis that formed the hedges, particularly from Navan to 

 Trim ; patches of full bloom were seen fully 18 feet to 20 feet, 

 and the elder tree was in great profusion aud good bloom. The 

 water plants along the banks of the Boyne were in capital 

 condition and great variety-*- Sagittaria saggittifolia, or the 

 arrowhead, the beautiful iris, and the sweet rush. Dragon flys 

 were abundant, including Galonteryx splendens, with its vividly 

 bright metallic colouring. Butterflies of the genus donacea 

 were collected in the iris at Dunmo and Trim. The sudden 

 appearance of Helix virgata near the Yellow Tower at Trim 

 suggested a snail shower, for this species often appears in large 

 numbers after a shower. Several species of the same genus 

 were collected. 



In order to reach Belfast in reasonable time we were 

 obliged to leave Navan at four o'clock, and to wait at Drogheda 

 for nearly two hours, which gave us the opportunity for visiting 

 some of the points of interest there, and we arrived at Belfast 

 about Q p.m. 



