Praeger : Vegetation Committee in the TV. of Ireland. 415 



iimbrosa and Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi accompanied us on our 

 ascent, and Salix herhacea was seen on the summit, but time 

 did not allow of a search for other alpine plants recorded from 

 this hill. A short scamper to a spur behind allowed of a fine 

 view of the cliffs and screes of Bengorm and Bengower. A 

 couple of hours later we were in the train en route for Ardrahan, 

 lying on the flat limestone ' clints ' eastward of the Burren 

 hills. We reached our destination — a tiny village, with an 

 excellent little hotel — in time to allow of a short ramble before 

 dark, so we struck at once out into the flat stony country that 

 stretches for five miles westward to v/here the grey bare hills 

 of Burren rise out of the plain. Almost at once we found 

 ourselves in the midst of the characteristic flora — sheets of 

 Dryas octopetala (here less than 100 feet above sea-level), 

 Sesleria ccerulea, Geranium sanguineum, with much Euphrasia 

 Salisburgensis, Asperula cynanchica, Galium sylvestre, Chlora 

 perfoliata, Carlina vulgaris, Gentiana verna, etc., etc. The sun 

 set in a glory of golden clouds as we turned homeward. 



Next morning we started on outside cars, and drove west- 

 ward across the flat rocky country to the base of the Burren 

 Hills, and halting at the foot of Glancolumbkille, made the 

 ascent of Slieve Carran (1075 feet). The way led over slopes 

 and terraces of bare grey limestone, where Dryas and Sesleria 

 were dominant, to the foot of the Eagle Rock, a fine range of 

 cliffs, 400 feet in height. Along the base of the cliff a dense 

 Hazel wood was explored. The trees are 15-20 feet high, and 

 their canopy is sufficiently dense to preclude all but shade 

 plants. The remarkable luxuriance of the moss flora was 

 noted, in striking contrast to the vegetation of the bare crags 

 around. Then we climbed the chff, first through a loose Birch- 

 Ash wood, then over Dryas-covered ledges. The broad top of 

 the hill proved heathy, with immense quantities of Dryas. 

 On the crowning cairn grew Arenaria verna and Saxifraga 

 hypnoides. Descending the hill, and reaching the vehicles 

 again, we drove through very remarkable country, absolutely 

 bare terraced hills of limestone, with valleys thickly clothed 

 with Hazel and Birch wood. Starting again on foot from the 

 base of the hills, and striking out into the plain, a rough bit 

 of going — made more difficult by the fact that we had now 

 reached the water-level, and most of the meadows were flooded 

 — we reached Castle Lough, where Potentilla fruticosa was 

 studied growing in abundance among the rocks. Another 



190 November i. 



