﻿OF 
  BRITISH 
  FUNG! 
  69 
  

  

  The 
  Rev. 
  M. 
  J. 
  Berkeley, 
  an 
  excellent 
  authority, 
  writes 
  

   of 
  them 
  : 
  ' 
  ' 
  These 
  rings 
  are 
  sometimes 
  of 
  very 
  ancient 
  

   date, 
  and 
  attain 
  enormous 
  dimensions, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  dis- 
  

   tinctly 
  visible 
  on 
  a 
  hill-side 
  from 
  a 
  considerable 
  distance 
  

   It 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  they 
  originate 
  from 
  a 
  single 
  fungus, 
  

   whose 
  growth 
  renders 
  the 
  soil 
  immediately 
  beneath 
  unfit 
  

   for 
  its 
  reproduction. 
  The 
  spawn, 
  however, 
  spreads 
  all 
  

   around, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  year 
  produces 
  a 
  crop 
  whose 
  

   spawn 
  spreads 
  again, 
  the 
  soil 
  behind 
  forbidding 
  its 
  

   return 
  in 
  that 
  direction. 
  Thus 
  the 
  circle 
  is 
  continually 
  

   increased, 
  and 
  extends 
  indefinitely 
  till 
  some 
  cause 
  

   intervenes 
  to 
  destroy 
  it. 
  If 
  the 
  spawn 
  did 
  not 
  spread 
  

   on 
  all 
  sides 
  at 
  first, 
  an 
  arc 
  of 
  a 
  circle 
  only 
  is 
  produced. 
  

   The 
  manure 
  arising 
  from 
  the 
  dead 
  fungi 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  

   years 
  makes 
  the 
  grass 
  peculiarly 
  vigorous 
  round, 
  so 
  

   as 
  to 
  render 
  the 
  circle 
  visible 
  even 
  when 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   external 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  fungus, 
  and 
  the 
  contrast 
  is 
  

   often 
  the 
  stronger 
  from 
  that 
  behind 
  being 
  killed 
  by 
  the 
  

   old 
  spawn. 
  This 
  mode 
  of 
  growth 
  is 
  far 
  more 
  common 
  

   than 
  is 
  supposed, 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  observed 
  constantly 
  in 
  

   our 
  woods, 
  where 
  the 
  spawn 
  can 
  spread 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  

   soil 
  or 
  amongst 
  the 
  leaves 
  and 
  decaying 
  fragments 
  which 
  

   cover 
  it."* 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  fairy 
  legends 
  associated 
  with 
  mushrooms 
  

   is 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  serving-girls 
  at 
  Tavistock, 
  to 
  whom 
  

   the 
  fairies 
  were 
  very 
  kind. 
  One 
  of 
  them 
  by 
  her 
  negli- 
  

   gence 
  having 
  offended 
  the 
  little 
  people, 
  they 
  proceeded 
  

   to 
  her 
  room, 
  and 
  debated 
  together 
  as 
  to 
  what 
  punish- 
  

  

  * 
  " 
  Outliucs 
  of 
  British 
  Fttogolofrr," 
  p. 
  41. 
  

  

  