Pliy to geo graphical Excursion in the British Isles. 285 
grassland was the most striking vegetational feature. Several 
interesting western plants were found. The magnificent roadside 
hushes of Fuchsia Riccartoni (quite naturalised and said to reproduce 
itself from seed, though no undoubted self-sown seedlings were seen 
in the neighbourhood of Clifden) were much admired. In the 
evening the small laboratory of the Irish Department of Agriculture, 
in which much good work on the diseases and manuringof the local 
crops is being done by Dr. G. H. Pethybridge and his assistant, was 
visited. 
On August 22nd cars were taken to Craigga More. Eriocaulun 
septangulare, the most abundant of the American plants found in 
West Ireland, was seen in abundance in several roadside pools. 
Near Craigga More Lough plenty of Erica Mackaii was found, re¬ 
placing Erica Tetralix, and on the islands in the lough the dwarf 
woods sheltering a woodland vegetation were visited (see New 
Phytologist, Vol. VIII, pp. 253-5), while other members of the 
party cursorily examined the adjacent moors. The drive was then 
continued to Roundstone, whence, after a meal, Urrisbeg was 
ascended ; from the top a splendid view is obtained of the sur¬ 
rounding country: on the north the typical Connemara moors, 
studded with innumerable lakelets and with the rounded summits of 
the Twelve Beinns behind, on the east the greatly indented inlets of 
Roundstone Bay with their seaweed-covered rocks running far up 
into the moorland; to the south the characteristic limestone hills 
of the Burren in Co. Clare across the broad expanse of Galway Bay. 
An interesting discussion on the geology of this district, which has been 
entirely and strongly glaciated, and on the origin of the peat-covering, 
took place on the summit of the hill. Ulex Gallii, again associated 
with Dabeocia and Erica cinerea was particularly finely in flower 
on Urrisbeg, which like the shores of Clifden Bay is marked by alter¬ 
nation of heath with grassland. Spiranthes autumnalis was abundant 
in the turf. The party then descended the hill on the south side and 
visited the much denuded sand dunes of Dog’s Bay. These furnish a 
capital example of degeneration of a habitat. The dunes have passed 
through the stage of fixed dune grassland, of which some few tracts 
still remain, with Eryngium maritimum and Euphrasia curia, but most 
of the turf has been destroyed and bare sand remains. Here and 
there small dunes are being slightly regenerated, through the agency 
of such plants as Carex arenaria, Agropyron junceum, and, in places, 
Potentilla anserina. Ammophila is very scanty and what there is seems 
to have remained from an earlier period when the dunes were in a 
primary phase of development. Salsola Kali, Arenaria peploides, 
Polygonum Rail and Spergularia rupestris occur on the shore. 
From Dog’s Bay the party drove back to Clifden in the evening, 
passing many typical Connemara cottages and villages, with marsh 
and moor plants springing up in the middle of the miserable crops 
of oats and potatoes, which are often sown in scarcely drained moor. 
The extreme poverty of this part of the country made a deep im¬ 
pression on the American visitors. 
On the morning of the 23rd the early train was taken to Galway 
where a good deal of time had to be spent on account of the delay 
in the departure of the steamer to Ballyvaghan, which was not 
reached till about 4 p.m. The party were met on the quay by cars 
and drove at once in the direction of Black Head. Owing to the 
