128 



THE DISCUSSION ON FAIRY RINGS. 



INTRODUCED bT 



EDWIN LEES, Esq., F.L.S., F.G.S., &c., 

 Vice-president of tlie Worceder atid Malvern Naturalists' Field Clubs. 



The President (James Kankin, Esq.) said that last year Mr. Edwin 

 Lees, of "Worcester, had read a paper to the Club on the interesting subject 

 of " Fairy Rings," and it was then suggested that members should during the 

 ensuing year make pai'ticular observations for themselves, and that the matter 

 should receive full attention at the present meeting. He would, therefore, now 

 call upon Mr. Lees to oj^en the discussion. 



Edwin Lees, Esq., F.L.S., then commencing in a humorous vein, said 

 that he must ask for their kind consideration and candid attention on behalf of 

 the poor and humble client whose interests he had to maintain, who was of such 

 retiring habits that he seldom appeared in public, kept himself sechided from 

 view, and though he was reaUy a public benefactor, yet unfortunately for him- 

 self he was generally considered an enemy to agriculture, and the members 

 of his family were consequently butchered unfeelingly by scores, and hung up in 

 terrorem upon the branches of trees on almost every farm. As they would all 

 understand, the poor client whose interests he now advocated was the little 

 underground miner called the Mole. Having brought the case previously before 

 them, they might think it would pi'ove as interminable as a Chanceiy suit, 

 but he hoped that the additional facts and observations that he had to 

 produce, with the arguments founded thereon, would so incline their minds 

 to the view he had taken that he should confidently expect a verdict in his 

 favour. He had hoped that his friend Dr. Bull would have seen his way to 

 accept a "brief" in favour of molar action ; but, though whilst he did not ignore 

 ' his client's merits, he appeared to shrink from a decided advocacy of his 

 claims, wishing to make the circuit of the ring on his own interpretation of 

 Nature if he coidd. Thus left as sole advocate in the cause, he must do the 

 best he could for the Slole on his own noted facts and experience. 



Mr. Lees then observed, that to simplify the case and ensure their assent 

 to the view that he took he would moderate his demands, and though fuUy 

 believing that the majority of Fairy Rings were primarily caused by the opera- 

 tion of the Mole, yet he would not assert that other causes had not their share 

 in making circular brands upon pastures, and thou^gh he had traced the hand, 

 or rather paw of the Mole, most indubitably in a number of cases which he had 

 diagramed in the field, yet he would admit that he had met ivith arcs and rings 



