frequent also in the mountainous districts elsewhere, except in the
limestone barony of Burren, the inhabitants of some parts of which
supply themselves with turf from the opposite shores of Connemara.
Generally speaking, the eastern parts of the county are mountainous,
with tracts of rich pasture-land interspersed; the west abounds with
bog; and the north is rocky and best adapted for grazing sheep. In the
southern part, along the banks of the Fergus and Shannon, are the bands
of rich low grounds called corcasses, of various breadth, indenting the
land in a great variety of shapes. They are composed of deep rich loam,
and are distinguished as the black corcasses, adapted for tillage, and
the blue, used more advantageously as meadow land. The coast is in
general rocky, and occasionally bold and precipitous in the extreme, as
may be observed at the picturesque cliffs of Moher within a few miles of
Ennistimon and Lisdoonvarna, which rise perpendicularly at O'Brien's
Tower to an elevation of 580 ft. The coast of Clare is indented with
several bays, the chief of which are Ballyvaghan, Liscannor and Malbay;
but from Black Head to Loop Head, that is, along the entire western
boundary of the county formed by the Atlantic, there is no safe harbour
except Liscannor Bay. Malbay takes its name from its dangers to
navigators, and the whole coast has been the scene of many fatal
disasters. The county possesses only one large river, the Fergus; but
nearly 100 m. of its boundary-line are washed by the river Shannon,
which enters the Atlantic Ocean between this county and Kerry. The
numerous bays and creeks on both sides of this great river render its
navigation safe in every wind; but the passage to and from Limerick is
often tedious, and the port of Kilrush has from that cause gained in
importance. The river Fergus is navigable from the Shannon to the town
of Clare, which is the terminating point of its natural navigation, and
the port of all the central districts of the county.

There are a great number of lakes and tarns in the county, of which the
largest are Loughs Muckanagh, Graney, Atedaun and Dromore; but they are
more remarkable for beauty than for size or utility, with the exception
of the extensive and navigable Lough Derg, formed by the river Shannon
between this county and Tipperary. The salmon fishery of the Shannon,
both as a sport and as an industry, is famous; the Fergus also holds
salmon, and there is much good trout