THE MUSHROOM FEAST. 71 



maturity. The meadow hay crop is unusually heavy everywhere. 

 We saw a field belonging to Mr. Maclean of Argdour in the act of 

 being cut the other day, and we never saw anything finer or heavier 

 fall before a scythe. This is precisely the weather for securing 

 such a heavy swathe in good order, although one cannot but feel for 

 the poor scythesman, who, brown as an Indian and bathed in sweat, 

 wields his glittering weapon under a burning, blazing sun, such as at 

 a pinch might serve the turn of our cousins of Jamaica or Demerara. 

 Some idea of the extraordinary heat and drought of the past week 

 may be gathered from the fact that it was frequently found possible 

 to stack or carry into the barn in one day the hay that had only 

 been cut on the day previous — something hitherto unheard-of, we 

 should say, in Lochaber, or, indeed, in any part of the Highlands. 

 We cannot recollect having ever before seen all kinds of fungi so 

 plentiful as they are throughout Lochaber this season. You meet 

 mushrooms of all sizes and of all shapes, both edible and poisonous ; 

 while fairy rings are so common that you may encounter one or more 

 of them in every bit of old pasture and in every greenwood glade. 

 One of these rings we had the curiosity to measure a few days ago, 

 and we found its diameter to be precisely fifteen feet, giving it 

 a circumference of upwards of fifty feet, as nearly as possible a 

 a perfect circle, the emerald outline, studded with its peculiar pretty 

 white, button-like Agaraci, amid the lighter green of the surrounding 

 herbage, as distinct and easily traceable, even at several hundred 

 yards distance, as ever was halo round the moon. We noticed that 

 a cow, happening to come the way while we were examining another 

 of these fairy rings, ate them all with evident relish, browsing so 

 steadUy along and around, that when she completed the circle she 

 had not left a single one. We hope that they agreed with her, 

 though we should not like to have joined in the repast, for we have 

 a salutary horror of the whole mushroom tribe. The so-called edible 

 mushroom is said to be delicious when properly cooked : should it 



