230 



The Irish Naturalist, 



November, 



The first traveller in Erris who published any account of 

 its plants was Prof. Babington,' who visited this remote tract 

 in July, 1836. Babington entered Krris by way of the grand 

 pass that lies between Nephin and Birreencorragh ; thence 

 down the Owenmore valley, past Carrowniore Lake to Bel- 

 mullet. To the Mullet he devoted two days, and traversed it 

 from end to end. His botanical notes are not copious. Some 

 forty Erris species are mentioned, many of them as found on 

 the Mullet. The majority are plants common throughout 

 Ireland ; but two, though now known to be widely distributed, 

 were then noted for the first time in this country — namely 

 Callitriche pedtmeulata and Myosotis repens. No mention is 

 made of Erica inediterranea or any other of the western species, 

 unless Osmtmda regalis be so classed. 



In April, 1852, Dr. David Moore made a pilgrimage to 

 Erris, his object being to see the Mediterranean Heath in its 

 Mayo stations, and to secure plants for cultivation. The 

 season was too early for general botanizing, and E?ica 

 mediterranea is the only Erris plant noted in his paper, ^ 

 which was read before the Royal Dublin Society immediately 

 after his return. 



A few years later (in July, 1859), Dr. Moore was again in 

 Erris.^ He travelled " partly on foot and partly by car " 

 from Ballina to Bangor in the Owenmore valley, where he 

 established his head-quarters, and thence " made excursions 

 in every direction." He collected a good many plants on the 

 Nephin Beg range, and made further enquiries into the range 

 Qi Erica mediterranea, the principal object of his visit being 

 to obtain plants of the dwarf dark-fiowered form of that 

 plant. 



1 On the Botany of E^rris, County Mayo, and a notice of several 

 additions to the Flora Hibernica. Mag. of Zool. and BoL, ii., pp. 1 19-124, 

 1837. Also Memorials, Journal, and botanical correspondence of 

 Charles Cardale Babington," pp. 52-54. 1897. 



^ On the Distribution of the Erica mediterranean var. Hibernica^ and 

 some other Plants, in Ireland. PhytoL, iv., 597-599. 1852. 



3 Observations on the prevailing and rare plants of EJrris, and of some 

 other portions of the County of Mayo. Nat. Hist. Review, vii., Proc, 

 pp. 414-417. i860. 



