^ ON FAIRY RINGS, ScC. 415 



phahged ; that the older particles are removed, and new ones 

 fupply llieir place ; that the body is not now tlie fame in- 

 dividual body, that it was; but it could not be eafiiy believed 

 that we fpeak only by guefs concerning the fofter parts, which 

 we know tor certain of the bones.— When madder is given to 

 animals, withheld for fome time and then given again, the 

 colour appears in their bones, is removed, and appears again 

 with fuch a fadden change, as proves a rapidity of depofition 

 and abforption exceeding all likelihood or belief; all the bones 

 are tinged in twenty-frtur hours; in two or three days their 

 colour is very deep, and. if the madder be left off but for a few 

 days, the red colour is entirely refnoved." 



Although by this chemical explanation of the effe6l of 

 madder upon the bones, the doctrine of the imperceptible 

 change in the component parts of animal bodies, lofes the fup- 

 port of a fa6l, which has, fince its difcovery, been univerfally 

 contidered as its ftrongelt proof; neverthelefs, indifputable 

 arguments, derived from ditTerent iburces, flill place that 

 dodrine amongft the beft fupported opinions in phyfiology. 



V. 



On Fairy Rings and the Wofte of Fljli in Scotland. By A.T. 



To Mr. NICHOLSON. 

 SIR, 



XJ-AVING frequently noticed the fairy-rings your corrc/pond- Obfervatlons 



ent, M. Florian Jolly mentions in your Journal for February, I ^"j~ '"1"'^. 



fliould be glad lo know fiom him whether hares or rabbits rings may not 



abounded in Brcadiands park, as I have generally obferved ^^^f ^^^'^ ™^'^* 



, r ■ -, .•■.■,/•,/-■. • . 1 by hares and 



thele rings molt prevalent, in light (andy toils, particularly rabbits. 



among rabbit burrows. This fpecies of foil from its drynefs 

 would be very unfavourable to the idea of thefe things being 

 formed from a central heap of horfe dung; betides, were this 

 the caufe of them, we thould expe6t them to be always cir- 

 cular, or when not circular, that thofe parts moft remote from 

 the centre would appear not to have benefited fo ftrongly from 

 the manure as thofe which were nearer. I have generally 

 obferved that the rings were compofed of a double circle, or 

 rather a little circular path, the middle of which appeared to 



be 



