Arbutus.) ERICACE &. 183 
smelting works both in Muckross demesne and on Ross 
Island which, no doubt, helped greatly in the local destruc- 
tion of this tree, and it certainly does not now occur where 
it did even in Smith’s time, when it covered “ at least a 
fourth part of the ascent of the mountains, the verges of 
whose bases, like that of Mangerton, and others before 
mentioned, are washed by the water of this lake.” It has 
also ceased to exist in Dr. Smith’s Kenmare station, probably 
from the same cause, and outside the Killarney district 
appears to be a diminishing species both in Cork and Kerry. 
It is interesting to note that while the Arbutus in its 
Mediterranean area rarely exceeds a large bush in size, it 
not infrequently attains the dimensions of a tree in its more 
moist and equable Killarney station. Thus Mackay in his 
Catalogue of Rare Plants gives the girth of a tree measured by 
him in 1805 on Rough Island in the Lower Lake as 9} feet 
at one foot from the ground, it then branched into four 
large limbs, the height of the tree from root to extremity 
being 36 feet. What appears to be Mackay’s tree still (1904) 
exists on Rough Island in much the same state as when he 
measured it, a hundred years ago, except that one of the 
four branches is lying broken on the ground. The largest 
Arbutus trees seen about Killarney, however, grow on 
Brickeen Island ; one measured here by the writer in 1904, 
was 12 feet 2 inches in girth at two feet from the ground, 
it then divided into four large branches. Several others in 
the vicinity were from 8} to 6 feet in girth, some of these 
being fine straight trees. Two enormous boles, one on each 
side of Brickeen bridge, measured over 14 feet in circum- 
ference each, but divided a short distance from the ground 
into 4 and 6 branches respectively. 
Although the Arbutus may often be seen growing in 
cracks among the bare limestone rocks round the Killarney 
Lakes, it shows no decided soil proclivities in its distribution 
there, fine trees being found both on the limestone and old 
red sandstone formations. 
[ANDROMEDA PoxiFot1a Linn.— It grows in several 
bogs in Iveragh and Dunkerron baronies ” (Dr. Smith) Hist. 
of Kerry, 1756, p. 378, No. 54. “ Common in bogs . . . in 
the county of Kerry’: Mackay Rar. 1806. ‘ Bogs in the 
county of Kerry”: Mackay Cat. 1825. This plant may 
still, possibly, occur in the county, but no recent record is 
available ; it is known in the adjoining counties, Limerick 
and Clare, but has not been seen in Cork recently. Like 
