Wild Connemara. By Dr Charles Stuart. 217 



better than any of us. Dryas octopetala was in full flower, its 

 fragile white corollas of a much larger size than ever seen in 

 Scotland, were flowering everywhere, just inside the walls by the 

 roadsides. Although wet through everything, we enjoyed the 

 excursion. 



No doubt County Clare is a botanical station of great interest. 

 A week's sojourn at Ballyvaughan would afford ample opportunity 

 for working up the whole district. Since my return, Mr O'Kelly 

 of Grlenare House, Ballyvaughan, has sent me specimens of 

 Asp. Capillus Veneris (var. magnificum), and of Gentiana verna 

 gigantea, which quite astonished me with their size. 



Notwithstanding the unfortunate state of the elements, I never 

 enjoyed an excursion more than this one to County Clare. 

 Ballyvaughan was reached in good time, where we were joined 

 at Kairen's hotel by the rest of the party, where a good hot cup 

 of tea refreshed and warmed us previous to embarking on board 

 the steamer. The weather continued very wet, but cleared 

 before reaching Gal way. Our hotel was reached at 7.30, where 

 a dry change and good dinner made us all comfortable. 



Next day our campaign for 1890 came to a conclusion, and we 

 arrived at Dublin late in the afternoon, in time to join the 

 steamer at six o'clock. After a fine passage Greenock was 

 reached at 8.30 next day (I4th August), in time for the express 

 to Edinburgh, where we arrived at 11 a.m. Here with many 

 regrets we separated, each to his own country, after a most 

 successful excursion. 



Postscript. — At a meeting of the Botanical Society on the 

 13th Februaiy 1891, Dr J. M. Macfarlane described the forms of 

 Erica found in Galway by the Scottish Alpine Club, and specially 

 referred to the variety known as Erica Machayii, which he 

 regarded as a subspecies of Erica tetralix, and a new form dis- 

 covered there by Dr Stuart of Chirnside, and which Dr 

 Macfarlane proposed to name Erica tetralix, subspecies IStuartii. 



The President of the Botanical Society, Mr Robert Lindsay, 

 writes me, " Dr Macfarlane's paper on the Ericas found in 

 Connemara, was a very exhaustive one. He gave a detailed 

 account of the microscopic characters of each. The conclusion 

 he comes to is, that your find is a new subspecies of E. tetralix, 

 which he i)roposes naming E. tetralix, subspecies Stuartii. He 

 has entirely given up the idea of them being hybrids. There is 

 no doubt your plant is a novelty." 

 Ic 



