ON FAIRY RINGS. 367 



VIII. 



On Fairy-Rings. By W. H. Wollaston 5 M. D. Sec R. £.* 



1 HE circles of dark-green grass frequently observed in Various aft. 

 old pastures, and known to most persons by the name °f CO unt for fairy 

 Fairy-rings, although in themselves of no importance, yet rings, 

 seem to claim some attention, if we consider the many in- 

 genious attempts that have been made to explain their 

 origin. On such a subject I shall be excused offering any 

 examination of opinions previously formed by others, and 

 shall therefore proceed briefly to relate such observations as 

 I made, during a few years residence in the country, on 

 the progressive changes of these circles, and which seem to 

 me to lead to a clear and satisfactory conclusion. 



That which first attracted my notice, was the position of Certain fungi 

 certain fungi which are always Lo be found growing u PO n ^°^ ut 

 these circles, if examined in a proper season. In the case 

 of mushrooms, I found them to be solely at the exterior 

 margin of the dark ring of grass. The breadth of the ring 

 in that instance, measured from them toward the centre, 

 was about twelve or fourteen inches, while the mushrooms 

 themselves covered an exterior ring about four or five inches 

 broad. 



The position of these mushrooms led me to conjecture These occasion 



that progressive increase, from a central point, was the the nn § b 7 



_ , _ . . , , *" ' . . T ' spreading pro- 



probable mode of formation of the ring. 1 was the more gressively front 



inclined to this hypothesis, when I found that a second the centre > as 



- r i . .i . , tne Y cannot 



species of fungus presented a similar arrangement, with re- continue to 



spect to the relative position ef the ring and fungi; for 1 § row in the 

 ■ . • ... , same spot. 



observed, that in all instances the present appearance of 



fungi was upon the exterior border of a dark ring of grass. 



I thought it not improbable that the soil, which had once 



contributed to the support of fungi, might be so exhausted 



of some peculiar pabulum necessary for their production, 



as to be rendered incapable of producing a second crop of 



that singular class of vegetables. The second year's crop 



would consequently appear in a small ring surrounding the 



original centre of vegetation, aud at every succeeding year 



* Phil. Trans, for, 1807, p. 133. 



the 



