Mr. Wilfon's " In tonfequence of your elleemed favour of the Itlh ^f 



remarks begin. A^guft^ j goi-, I vvenl on the 2nd of September following, 

 to view the place which the lightning had flriick, being ac- 

 Thc place not companied by the farmer of the grounds. The aflcfted fpot 

 eafy to be found, ^-aj, not then vejy ea(y to be diftinguiflicd, as the injured 

 Ihifiles were generally overtopped at the time, but we had 

 no doubt of its true fituation, upon finding the place where 

 Slight veAlgcs we formerly dug in purfuit of the imaginary (tone. Some 

 of the lightning, ^g^j gp^f^ appeared, but it was confined to the fpace within 

 which the roots had been plowed up by the electric 'fluid. 

 The verdure was undoubtedly brighter about the hole, and 

 Ihe farmer was willing to attribute the flouriihing flate of 

 this circle of herbitage to the lightning j but for my part, 

 I afcribed it to what had dropped from his cows, rather than 

 any thing that had fallen from the clouds. 

 Thefe veftigcs " I have not been able to perceive the leaft difference be- 

 not permanent. ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^-^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^j^^ ^^,,j^ j^^ing the 



courfe of the prefent year j my obfervations muft therefore 

 be acknowledged not to liavour the hypolhefis, which luppofes 

 fairy-rings to be formed at firft by lightning. 

 The explanation • " I never faw a fairy-ring, and therefore may feem badly 

 ''fovel''^ ''"" qualified to write on the fubjeft ; but from what I have read, 

 it appears to me, that the circle of decayed grafs is caufed 

 by the innumerable grubs, wliich are faid to lay concealed 

 under the ring among the roots of the herbifage ; I alfo 

 fuppole, that the fungufes commonly feen on lairy-rings, 

 give a preference to thefe circles on account of the abundance 

 of dead vegetable matter to be found in them ; amofngft 

 which various ipecies of fangi are known to grow. To this 

 I may add, that the interior circle of dark green grats is 

 owing to the dung, and ploughing of Ihofe animals in Ihe 

 preceding year ; and the reafon which compels thefe grubs 

 or their oHspring to pufh forward from the cenlre, feems to be 

 this ; every creature we know of has an averfion to working 

 in its own excrement, or that of its own fpecies." 

 Tlcfleaiont on The obfervations of Mr. Wilfon, flaled above, feem (o 

 tiftjjs. ^^^" demonQrale, that a patch of herbage is not invariably con- 

 verted into a faury-ring by a powerful flroke of lightning; 

 confcquently if ele6iric dilcharges from the atmofphere be ilw: 

 primary caufes of thefe circles, they require the afii fiance of 

 fome peculiarity in the foil to give permanency to the appear- 

 ance. 



