XVili INTRODUCTION. 
Lathrea Squamaria, Chenopodium rubrum, Polygonum minus, 
P. sagittatum, Spiranthes autumnalis, Epipactis palustris, 
Potamogeton graminifolius, Ruppia spiralis, Zostera nana, 
Eleocharis acicularis, Scirpus parvulus, Eriophorum latifolium, 
Carex Benninghausiana, C. aquatilis, C. hibernica, C. strigosa, 
Equisetum trachyodon, Pilularia globulifera and Chara contraria, 
with Utricularia neglecta, Juncus tenuis, Sparganium neglectum 
and Nitella confervacea in their first Irish stations. Another 
23 are recorded by him in papers or notes in the Irish Naturalist 
between 1895 and 1914, including Ranunculus heterophyllus, 
Diplotaxis muralis, Teesdalia nudicaulis, Ginanthe Phellan- 
drium, Galium erectum, Matricaria discoidea, Hieracium 
argenteum, H. orimeles, H. sciaphilum, H. sparsifolium, Pyrola 
minor (with Dr. Wood), Lithospermum officinale, Rumea 
maritimus (with H. Crookshank), Ophrys apifera, Potamogeton 
plantagineus and Chara polyacantha, with C. canescens in its 
first Irish station. 
A few additions still remain to be chronicled ; thus in the 
Irish Nat. 1902, the present writer records the finding of 
Spergularia rubra by. Alexander Somerville, and in the same 
publication for 1908, that of Trifolium arvense by Miss Wooton ; 
while in 1907, Mr. Druce adds Polygonum maculatum to his 
previous Kerry records, and in the same Journal for 1910 
increases the Kerry total by Utricularia Bremii and Elisma 
natans, both species apparently new to the Irish flora. Two 
years later in the Irish Nat. for 1912, R. Ll. Praeger records the 
finding by A. W. Stelfox and himself of Cochlearia granlandica, 
Orobanche rubra and O. minor, and finally in 1915, Mrs. Jenner 
adds Ranunculus auricomus to the Kerry list, vide Irish Nat. 
In the foregoing historical summary the first records of the 
more interesting members of the Kerry flora have been indi- 
cated,from the earliest record in 1697 down to the close of 1915. 
II. Prysican FEATURES. 
The maritime county of Kerry, with an area of 1,853 sq. 
miles, is situated between latitude 51° 42’ and 52° 35’ North, 
and between longitude 9° 13’ and 10° 29’ West, and with a 
portion of the adjoining county Cork forms the south-western 
comer of Ireland. Its extreme length is 68 miles from north to 
south, while in breadth it varies from 20 to 59 miles. According 
to the last census (1911), the total area of the county, 1,190,000 
acres, is thus occupied, 179,000 acres in tillage, 772,000 in 
pasture, 191,000 in waste bog and mountain, 14,000 in planta- 
tions and 32,800 under water. 
