October, 191 5. 



The Irish Naturalist. 



^77 



THE CLARE ISLAND SURVEY. 



BY R. F. SCHARFF, PH.D., B.SC. 



The study of animals and plants of every country, of every 

 district, and of every island offers problems of complexity 

 and interest. But islands and their animal and plant 

 inhabitants possess quite a special attraction for the 

 naturalist. They differ strikingly as a rule in their fauna 

 and flora from the nearest portion of the mainland. How 

 came the animals and plants there at all ? What were 

 their means of conveyance ? Why should so many species 

 which flourish on the mainland be absent from islands ? 

 These and many other questions of biological interest are 

 raised by the study of an island fauna and flora ; and it is 

 for this reason that so much attention has been devoted 

 by eminent naturalists to the scientific investigations of 

 islands. Darwin made a special study of the Galapagos 

 Islands and the origin of their animals and plants. Wallace's 

 famous Island Life treats of the subject from a wider aspect, 

 and as the author aptly remarks islands offer the best 

 subjects for the study of the distribution of animals and 

 plants. The importance of this research has also been 

 recognised by the Government in so far as that the Trustees 

 of the British Museum have been permitted to publish 

 at public expense a full account of the exploration of 

 Christmas Island. 



Stimulated by the gratifying results obtained by the 

 exploration of Lambay, which is situated near Dublin, a 

 small body of naturalists decided in 1908 that efforts should 

 be made to organise a biological survey of one of the islands 

 lying off the west coast of Ireland. Clare Island was selected 

 as the most suitable for that purpose, and it was resolved to 

 do the work thoroughly and to include if possible a geo- 

 logical survey of the island. 



It was a formidable undertaking, for large funds were 

 needed, workrooms and accommodation on the island had 

 to be established, investigators had to be induced to travel 



