368 ON FAIRY RIKGJ. 



the defect of nutriment on ona side would necessarfly cause 

 the new roots to extend themselves solely in the opposite 

 direction, and would occasion the circle of fungi conti- 

 nually to proceed by annual enlargement from the centre 

 outwards. An appearance of luxuriance of the grass 

 would follow as a natural consequence, as the soil of an 

 interior circle would always be enriched by the decayed roots 

 of fungi of the preceding year's growth. 

 Dr. Hutton's By reference to Dr. Button's* u Observations on cer- 



them at Ar- * a * n natural appearances of the ground of the hill of Ar- 

 thur's seat. thur's Seat near Edinburgh," we find the progressive en- 

 largement distinctly noticed ; but as he happened not to 

 observe any of the fungi that occasioned them, he speaks of 

 it merely as " a piece of natural history worth recording, 

 and for which, a theory is wanting." 



Respecting the enlargement, he says, Ci from all the ob- 

 servations I have made, this progress seems always to have 

 proceeded in the direction of a line bisecting the segment, 

 that is to say, those portions of concentric circles are 

 never inscribed, but always circumscribed; and for this 

 reason it appears, that those circles of which segments are 

 .exhibited to our observation must be increasing and not di- 

 minishing in their diameters." 

 Br. Withering Although Dr. Hutton has overlooked the real origin of 

 ascribed them g^ a pp earanccS9 J) r . Withering has ascribed them to their 

 cause. true cause; but his remarks are confined to one species of 



agaric (the ag. orcades of his Arrangement), and do not ap- 

 pear to have been confirmed by any subsequent observation 

 of their annual progress. 



a I am satisfied," says he, cc that the bare and brown, 

 or highly clothed and verdant circles in pasture fields called 

 Fairy-rings are caused by the growth of this agaric." 

 11 Where the ring is brown and almost bare, by digging up 

 tin: soil to the depth of about two inches, the spawn of the 

 fungus will be found of a grayish white colour ; but where 

 the grass has again grown green and rank, I have never 

 -found any of the spawn existing." 



* Edinburgh Transactions. 



Had 



