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the roots of perennial plants, lives, and spreads its fibres onwards in search of 

 further nourishment, which if it finds it develops its fruit again, though not 

 always the succeeding year. How long this mycelium may exist is uncertain, 

 and an undetermined point, but in many cases its existence is not carried on for 

 many years, and it dies when exhausted, which is the general lot of all other 

 plants. At any rate when the annual crop of one species has died and rotted on 

 the gi-ound, it is open for any other fungus to occupy the old ring, and Dr. 

 Wollastou was even of opinion that the same Agaric could not grow on the same 

 spot two successive seasons. This may not be exactly correct as to the rernal 

 species of A. e/ajnbosus and Oreadcs, but I believe it holds good as to the autumnaj 

 ones, and thus it is that the old rings are lost, while new ones are developed in 

 fresh places every succeeding year. Dr. Bull indeed has informed me that a 

 fine ring of Lrjcapcrdon gigantcus that he saw last year has re-appeared this 

 season in a somewhat larger but more in-egular ring ; but splendid rings of 

 Ag. geotruptts that met his view two years since have not appeared again in 

 the same place. 



The foreign writers, Dutrochet and Turisin agree upon this continued ad- 

 vance of the Fungi to fresh places, and Sir Humphrey Davy has illustrated the 

 doctrine of the rotation of crops on this very fact of funguses requiring a per- 

 petual change of supporting pabulum. 



In fact Fungi and the Agarics especially are urged into active growth by 

 exciting meteorological causes, such as electric rain. Scarcely an Agaric could 

 be met with during the great drotight of the last summer, but after the first 

 thunder storms that swept over the country, mushrooms sprang up in astonishing 

 multitudes, the markets were crammed with them, and tons collected. So in 

 like manner, up sprang rings of Agaricus Oreades, complete at once as Minerva is 

 said to have risen full armed from the brain of Jupiter ; and soon after one of 

 these heavy thunder-showers, my friend the Eev. J. H. Thompson observed 

 three large Fairy Rings suddenly apparent in a croft some time since added 

 to Cradley cluu'chyard, where he feels assured they were never present before, 

 as he was in the habit of noticing this piece of ground almost daily. But, no 

 doubt, I think, the rings were really there before, though not made apparent 

 till after the rain by the sudden growth of the Agarics. This may be often the 

 case, for Dr. Bull mentioned to me a ring in a garden grass-plot that appeared 

 in a very similar way. 



If then, after all, we find nothing miraculous in Fairy Rings, and require 

 neither fairies or centrifugal jiropulsion to form the rounds so often perceptible 

 in the meadows, we see at least a law that acts upon cryiitogamic equally with 

 phanerogamic vegetation— that progressive change, which, with every alteration 

 and disturbance of the ground, has something prepared for the situation, and 

 leaves no spot unoccupied. So that, in conclusion, with a slight alteration only, 

 and having in view the edible utility of the tribe whose growth we have been 

 contemplating, I may say, in the language of the observant author of "The 



