36 Botanical Rambles. 



woods of Tanderagee grew many plants, among which were 

 mentioned Gallium mollugo^ Mercurialis perennis^ Carex 

 pendula, Festuca sylvatica. The woods of Gosford Castle 

 yielded the curious Bird's-nest Orchis {Neottia nidus-avis)^ and 

 on the shores ot Mullaghmore Lough, near Markethill, a very 

 important find was made, in the shape of the fine sedge Carex 

 rhynchophysa, a plant which inhabits Russia and Finland, but 

 was not previously known to occur in the British Isles. 



Subsequent examination of the Lough Neagh shores and 

 northern bogs resulted in further interesting discoveries. Here 

 in one spot the rare grass Calamagrostis Hookeri, which in 

 Britain is confined to the shores and islets of Lough Neagh, was 

 obtained in abundance ; and the extremely rare and beautiful 

 orchid Spiranthes Romanzoviana was also found. This plant 

 has its only other European station on the shores of Bantry 

 Bay, in County Cork ; in Asia it is found nowhere but in 

 Kamtschatka ; while in America it is of frequent occurrence in 

 Canada and the northern States. A gravel-pit in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Armagh also yielded some rare plants, of which the 

 best were Silene nociijlora, Papaver argemone^ and Fumaria 

 densiflora ; the last named has only once previously been re- 

 corded from Ireland. Mr. Praeger concluded by saying that a 

 full account of the interesting flora of County Armagh would 

 be published by him in the "Irish Naturalist" for the coming 

 year, to which he referred those desirous of knowing more of 

 the wild flowers of that district. The lecture was profusely 

 illustrated with dried and mounted specimens of all the plants 

 mentioned, and of many others found in the county. 



