Lathyrus.| LEGUMINOSA. 73 
necessity sent them to its stores, they then thought it was 
sent by miracle for their support.” On p. 174 of the same 
work, he again refers to these Peas—-“ towards the southern 
point of the island (Inch-Island as it is called, although 
properly an isthmus) considerable quantities of white peas 
grow spontaneously, the seed of which was probably 
scattered here by some ship-wreck.” 
The next notice of this plant occurs about fifty years 
later : “I found this on the sand hills, bay of Castlemain, 
in August 1804”: Mackay Rar., and there is a specimen of 
the plant from this locality labelled in Mackay’s handwriting 
“Sandhills, Bay of Castlemain, 1804’’ preserved in the 
Herbarium of Admiral Jones in the Science and Art Museum, 
Dublin. Another specimen in the Herbarium of Mr. Arthur 
Bennett is labelled “‘ Hx herbario Guglielmi Andrews . . . 
Rosbegh, Kerry, July 1841 ” ; while a third, and the latest 
specimen known, was found in a collection of plants of the 
district made by a coast-guard named John Reilly, and 
labelled, “‘ Sandhills, Killorglin Bay, July 1845”’; this 
collection was purchased by the late Mr. R. M. Barrington, 
vide Journ. of Bot., 1877, p. 179. 
Great interest attaches to these Castlemaine Bay records 
for Lathyrus maritimus, as on them alone rests the claim of 
this plant to a place in the Irish flora. Mackay in his 
Introduction to the Flora Hibernica, 1836, p. vii, states that 
the Histories of Cork and Kerry by Dr. Smith “‘ possess very 
considerable merit and accuracy with regard to the localities 
of plants, as I found during my botanical excursions through 
that part of the country.” Unfortunately this high opinion 
of his accuracy is not altogether shared by recent observers. 
Dr. Smith’s list of “ rare and useful ” plants growing in the 
county Kerry, contains the names of 97 of the Phanerogamia 
and higher Cryptogams ; of this number no less than 38-do 
not appear to have been seen in the county since the publi- 
cation of his book in 1756, except in one or two instances, 
where they occurred as obvious escapes from cultivation. 
To add to our doubt regarding his record of the Lathyrus, 
there is the puzzling statement as to the colour, ‘“ white 
peas ” as he calls them, whereas the flowers of this plant 
-are purple. Dr. Smith’s record, however, is very much 
strengthened if not completely confirmed by the fact of 
specimens gathered in his locality appearing in the Herbaria 
-of Admiral Jones, W. Andrews, and John Reilly, although 
Mr. Andrews’ record ‘‘ Rosbegh,” would point to the south 
side of Castlemaine Bay instead of the north side. 
