021 



a subterranean, fibrous, fungoid vegetable : it spread from a common 

 centre, and while it extended itself in every direction around the 

 margin of the green ring which superficially marked its presence, it 

 seemed to perish and disappear from the inner margin. 



The next noticeable feature in the case was, that from these green 

 rings issued a number of agarics ; a fact familiar to all botanists, and 

 to every shepherd who traverses the downs. Some of the rings pro- 

 duced but two or three agarics, some produced them in tens, some in 

 hundreds ; but very few of these fairy-rings were wholly unproductive. 

 It was a work of little trouble to establish the fact that these agarics 

 were connected with the subterranean fibrous fungus before described ; 

 they were found in a state of absolute continuity with this fungus. A 

 parellel instance occurs in the common mushroom, except as regards 

 the uniformity of its figure : the cultivators of this delicious esculent 

 purchase and plant a fibrous fungus, in order that they may gather 

 one totally different in all its characters. They know it by a diffe- 

 rent name; they plant mushroom-spawn that they may gather mush- 

 rooms, exactly as they would plant a gooseherry-hush that they might 

 gather gooseberries ; and the two processes are conducted with equal 

 certainty of success. 



We believe it to be incontestible that the fine powder emitted by 

 the fungUs tribe is reproductive seed : we see multitudes of agarics 

 rising in the course of a night, emitting seed and perishing : there is 

 no other vegetable so evanescent. Now, if we admit the connexion 

 of the agaric with the fungoid fibrous vegetable usually known as the 

 mycelium, thallus, or spawn ; if we admit the evanescent character of 

 the agaric, and the enduring character of the spawn — and who shall 

 resist these admissions, — we are driven either to the illogical conclu- 

 sion that the spawn is an entirely subterranean perennial vegetable, 

 and the agaric a parasite whose seeds have to penetrate the earth, in 

 order to find a fitting substance whereon to germinate, and that this 

 fitting substance is supplied in the spawn ; or, that the spawn is a sub- 

 terranean vegetable except when pushing its blossoms to the surface, 

 in order that its seeds may be dispersed on the wings of the wind, and 

 that the agarics are those blossoms. 



If it be asked why the presence of the spawn should alter the 

 colour of the grass on the surface ? we acknowledge the question to 

 be one of great interest, but at the same time we must maintain, that 

 our inability to give a satisfactory reply, in no degree militates 

 against the theory we have ventured to propound. The presence of 

 the spawn beneath the turf of the fairy-rings is indisputable, and we 

 Vol. II. 4 h 



