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whose origin was difficult of solution. To obviate an objection made by Mr. 

 Curley and others that Fairy Eings existed in Ireland though Moles were 

 absent from that country, he would on the present occasion give up all 

 claim to the Irish property (laughter), but "without prejudice," not having 

 had an opportunity of examining the sister island, though nothing but assertions 

 had been made, and no authorities appealed to. He would also advance no 

 claim to any part of North America, as he had seen it stated in a volume of 

 "The American Naturalist " that there were no Fairy Rings on that continent, 

 and as he had never heard of any emigration of the Mole family there, that may 

 be taken as negative evidence of no rings in the absence of the Mole, at any rate 

 in America. He would confine himself to Britain and the Continent of Europe, 

 and the numerous rings there apparent, especially in England, would satisfy the 

 moderate requirements of construction and possession he now made on behalf of 

 his client the Mole. He would now briefly sum up the evidence in support 

 of his case in two parts, taking first the remarks of authors and observers, who 

 had gone into the history of the mole, though without reference to the formation 

 of Fairy Eings from them ; and, secondly, give the result of his own observa- 

 tions, carried over many years, which had convinced him that the Mole was the 

 primaiy originator of the curves, arcs, and rings so often seen mai-king pastures 

 and la\vns. In his former papers, printed in the " 'Woolhope Transactions," ho 

 had already quoted the statements of Bell, in his " British Quadrupeds," 

 Jesse in his " Natural History Essays," and the French writer, M. St. Hilaire, 

 all of whom had bomo testimony to the gyratory lines made by the Mole in 

 past\u-es, and Mr. Jesse particvdarly stated that "coupling runs," as the 

 mole-catchers call them, are made by the male mole in his searches for his 

 partner, and "are as near the surface as possible." The remarks of those 

 writers as to mole-runs are the more important, as they had no theoiy to 

 support as to Fairy Eings being formed on the tracks of the mole. He had 

 further been led by his friend Rev. J. D. La Touche, of Stokesay, and had the 

 advantage of consulting a professional mole- catcher, and who had told them 

 that these round-about runs of the mole were common enough Ln meadows, 

 though, as he had only to attend to the catching of moles, he had not paid 

 attention to Fairy Eings themselves as axising from these runs. Mr. Lees then 

 exhibited a considerable number of sketches of Fairy Rings, diagrams made by 

 himself in the field, of various figures and dimensions— some circular, others 

 exceedingly wavy and irregular, several of them dotted with Agarics, and others 

 only forming a line of coarse gi-ass, but all of them, as he declared, showing 

 evident traces of the work of the mole. They were from various locahties, and 

 one most curious diagram he had taken in a field near Beaumaris, in the Island 

 of Anglesea, only a fortnight since, showed evident traces of two moles running 

 close together in two parallel lines, and forming two rings connected togeth^^r 

 by a double avenue ! He had been particularly attentive to the subject this 

 year, and all his former observations as to molar work were confirmed. But 

 uidess they looked close and went into the middle of meadows, the first work of 



