86 



YORKSHIRE NATURALISTS AT HATFIELD CHACE. 



temnssima Koch., a barren Myriophvlhnn, and the Cyperus Sedge 

 Carex pseudocyperus L. Four ardent members started on a bee-Une 

 (as they thought) across the undrained part of the Chace, from near 

 Lindhohne, intending to reach Hatfield in time, of course, for the 

 meat tea. Unfortunately for them, in spite of compass and ordnance 

 maps, they thoughtlessly persisted in steering south instead of west. 

 One of them tumbled into a bog-hole, too, and had to shout to his 

 companions for assistance. Perhaps it was mainly owing to their 

 bemg so bent on finding the Droseras, or to their searching so 

 carefully for rare fungi, that they forgot to take the bearings often 

 enough on this flat stretch of marshy country. However, they 

 eventually found themselves at Wroot in Lincolnshire, nearly nine 

 miles from Hatfield I The order was now given by the conchologist 

 who was in conniiand, that nothing pertaining to natural history must 

 be noted here, as Lincolnshire had no claims upon the Yorkshire 

 Naturalists' Union. But the ' botanologists,' not to be scared by 

 such peremptory orders, at once proceeded to a practical study of a 

 certain foreign plant of the Solanacece^ that species known so well by 

 its fragrant aroma, viz., JSHcotiaiia tabacum, specimens of which were 

 not far to seek. This unofficial visit to Wroot was the means, after 

 all, of getting botanical information both interesting and amusing. 

 During the day there had been noticed in several places, and 

 specimens gathered for winter use, the fairy-ring fungus, Ma7'asmius 

 oreades, called the Champignon. A meadow, bordering this 

 Lmcolnshire village, patterned over with 'rings' of the choice edible 

 ' toad-stooL presented such an interesting sight that one would have 

 been sorry to have missed it. The amusing part of the affair was 

 this — a native, on being asked his opinion as to the occurrence of 

 toad-stools in ring clusters in the meadow yonder, said, ' they grew 

 that way where horses had rolled ' ! It is aveiTed in some districts, 

 that hedgehogs have something to do with the appearance of this 

 fungoid growth, by ' running in circles,' and the fairies are beheved 

 to hold their revels within the circles on the night before full moon. 

 Be this as it may, however, the ' Wroot " definition of the botanical 

 matter in question was elucidated in a new fashion. In a little while 

 a conveyance was obtained, and the explorers were driven with all 

 despatch over the Yorkshire borders again, to within four miles of 

 Hatfield. The conchologists at once commenced dredging in the 

 drains for shells — although a shooting party who looked over the 

 hedge said 'they were catching minnows' ; and the botanologists to 

 recording the growth of hedge-row, stubble-field and broad road-side, 

 as if nothmg out of the usual 'routine ' had happened. The best of 

 these observations were Papave?- dubiuin L., Spergularia rubra Pers^, 



Naturalist^ 



