218 



The theory of Berkeley and other modem fungologists by no means explains 

 the phenomenon that has attracted popular notice ; for on the idea o an ongm 

 from a single fungxis, it would be two or three years before sufficient space was 

 made for a proper dancing ring, and, the fairies with their nimUo feet would not 

 trouble themselves with such a slow process, nor woidd the clown be a ranted 

 by it. We must have a suddenly Mmed circle in the first mstance to show 

 the fairy dance made in the night, and exMbit their pastin.e as ^l^akspere rn^ 

 tiniates. "to make these midnight mushrooms." No supposed centn uga 

 growth of spores scattered round from a single agaric wrll make the la^r e 

 Lies that have been noticed in pasti.es occupied by the -^^^^^^^^^^^^ 

 theoretically there ought to be a numler of .nail c.-clcs. Now let us look a 

 what is really done, and inquire ^ol^at .ill do it, and then we ^^^^^^^l ^ 

 observation of Nature's operations carefully made -l^^^ ^^ *^°^^^;^*^ ^'^ 

 nuirer may have, and gives interesting facts instead of unsubstautxal theones. 



Though these pasti^e-marks, the subject of -^P^-'^' '^f .— f„^. 

 called rings they are by no means as a rule ^^"^^^ ^-'^l^^^^^^l 

 the most part hicomplete circles, arcs, and wavy hues of vanab e -^--^^-^^^ 

 dimensions. Their primary aspect is brown with upturned sod, then they be 

 "11" gx-eener han the pastur-e in which they appear, or, as ™stance 

 hlpi en broCn and scorched from decaying vegetation, or f^^^^l^^^^^^^ 

 oneclustering mass of Agarics, so close and fir-m that a bght-footed gnl mxght 

 really dance upon them all roimd. 



Now having paid close attention to these appearances for many years 



and not merely looked to the fungus growing in the cirxle, but the cxrcle xt^el , 



Ms Ise observation teUs me that in the great ma3ority of <^^;J^ 



. 1 0..1 +l,^v seize upon these rounds accordmgly, and once there make 



r:Stono^^2eg^^j^^^^^^ 



L tZnToff elseJhere. For an uncertain time their- occupation mcreases 

 Se sLe of th ring, but they do not orioinaUy form it. The nng is increased 

 too not by the sporulesof the plant scattered about, but by the perennia^ 

 Tder^ound mycLr., which slowly spreads until it is killed by meteorological 

 causes, or like other plants dies out from exhausted vitahty. 



By reference to some of the diagrams I have made from actual field 



observaL you may see that in numerous cases I have established not 



treVy tie' presence'of the Mole near the circles, but tUc ^^V of U. 



forrmtion of tUm. ( See Plate of fairy-ring circles and arcs p. 224. ) 



But so far from Fungi in their growth forming these rings, -omM^^ 



,ve never attacked by Agarics at all, and here it is that from grass first withei- 



