213 



latter soon disappear from decay, but a green conspicuous band maiks where they 



grew. But the rings occupied by gamhosus and Orcadcs mostly remain brown 



and bare through the summer. These circles in the grass are not confined to 



any particular district, but pastures are necessary to their production, and my 



friend Dr. Bull has met with many about Hereford, and I have seen some in this 



vicinity abundantly crowded with agarics myself, as well as in other counties. 



They are not so common on the Continent as in England, though I have noticed 



some in Switzerland. In an article upon Fungi in the "American Naturalist" 



(1868) it would appear from a remark of the writer, that they are unknown 



in the United States of America, where, however. Agarics are very abundant. 



With regard to the mythology and folk-lore of the subject, much may 



be written, and very curious matter collected, but I shall select chiefly what 



bears upon the appearances presented to view, and which led people in olden 



times to believe that fairy dancing had taken place where these circles met their 



view. Up to the middle of the 17th century, and perhaps nearly to the end 



of it, there was a general belief in the existence of a race of unsubstantial pigmy 



elves commonly called fairies, to whom various good as well as malicious qualities 



were attributed ; but on the jn-esent occasion I can only notice their dancing, a 



pastime to which they were said to be addicted, especially when the moon 



illuminated the midnight scene. An old poet alluding to this says :- - 



" Dance like fairies a fantastic round, 

 Who neither change their motion or their ground." 



It was this keeping to one place in the fairy dance that made the impressioii ifl 



the grass visible to the rustic eye the next day, as Michael Drayton observes in 



his " Nymphidia," thus endorsing the popular belief— 



" And in their courses make that round, 



In meadows and in marshes found. 



Of them so called the Fairy-gronnd, 



Of which they have the keeprtng." 



Now this was not a mere i^oetical idea, but the general belief, and the fairies 

 and their love of dancing being believed in, it seemed not unlikely that traces 

 of their light revelry shoiild be left in the spots they frequented, which was an 

 easy solution of the phenomenon presented to view, and kept up the credit of the 

 fairy people as ever at work although invisible to mortal eyp. Chaucer has in- 

 timated the existence of the belief in Fairies as universal before his time, though 

 in his satirical way he suggests that "Umitours" and "holy freres" had in- 

 creased to such a degree that by "blessynge haUes," bowers, and all other 

 places, they had frighted the Fairy people away from their accustomed haunts,- 

 and where before was "walken an elf," the intrusive Umitour alone on the 

 scene now presented himself only. But they were still in existence if not sa 

 manifest as formerly. 



" In the olde dayes of the King Arthmir, 



Of which that Britouns spoken gret honour, 



All was this land fulfilled of Fayrie ; 



The elf-queen with her joly compaignye 



Daimced ful oft in many a grene mede, 



This was the old oppynyoun, as I rede.*" 



* Chaucer— in the opening of the " Wyf of Bathes Tale." 



