t)ecember, I906. 7 he hish Naturalist, 
257 
NOTES OF A WESTERN RAMBLE. 
BY R. IJ.OYD PRAKGER. 
During July last some time was devoted to working round the 
edges of what we may call the Galway-Clare limestone area, 
which is characterized by the peculiar flora which has its head- 
quarters in the Burren district. The object of this field-work 
was to endeavour to define or to extend the range of some of 
the more interesting members of that remarkable flora. 
On July 2 my wife and I took train to Athenry, and cycled 
northward to examine the areas of bare limestone of that por- 
tion of N.E. Galwa}^ I was curious about these, owing to re- 
ports received from time to time from Mrs. Frank Joyce of 
various rare plants growing there amid an abundance of the 
usually calcifuge Erica cinerea. About Cahermore no great 
area of limestone is exposed, but Sesleria ccsrulea, Gentiana 
vcrna, Asperula cyna7ichica, Galium sylvestre, Erica cinerea^ and 
Calhma vulgaris grow amicably together. As one descends 
the hill northward or westward, the limestone is covered with 
a well-developed heath formation. Pools here yielded Peplis 
Portula, a strongly calcifuge plant hitherto unrecorded for 
N.E- Galway. From Cahermore a very wide prospect ex- 
tended of the characteristic scenery of this western part of the 
lyimestone Plain — a great expanse of rather bare country, 
broken up by wide low ridges here and there, and chiefly re- 
markable for its distances and its loneliness. Along the 
western horizon a beautiful mountain panorama extended, 
contrasting strongly with the nearer distance — the Ox moun- 
tains, Nephin and Nephinbeg, Croaghpatrick, Maamtrasna, 
Maam Turk, the Twelve Bens and lower hills of Connemara, 
and the Burren uplands — a view full of botanical suggestions. 
Next day we ranged far on our machines. On the south edge 
of the Coolaran woods there is a nice piece of limestone, with 
plenty of Vicia Orobus (as reported by Mrs. Joyce), and Ophrys 
muscifera. We returned late in the afternoon to the western 
slope of the Coolaran ridge, where there is a fine area of bare 
limestone, with abundance oi Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi, Gei^aiiimn 
sanguineum^ Rubia peregrinay Euphrasia Salisbtcrgensis, and 
A 
