136 Dr. Wollaston’s Essay on Fairy -Rings. 
of the fungi, they so entirely absorb all nutriment from the 
soil beneath, that the herbage is for a while destroyed, and a 
ring appears bare of grass surrounding the dark ring. If a 
transverse section be made of the soil beneath the ring at this 
time, the part beneath the fungi appears paler than the soil on 
either side of it, but that which is beneath the interior circle of 
dark grass is found on the contrary, to be considerably darker 
than the general surrounding soil. But in the course of a few 
weeks after the fungi have ceased to appear, the soil where 
they stood grows darker, and the grass soon vegetates again 
with peculiar vigour ; so that I have seen the surface covered 
with dark grass, although the darkened soil has not exceeded 
half an inch in thickness, while that beneath has continued 
white with spawn for about two inches in depth. 
The section of the space occupied by the white spawn has in 
general nearly the same form, and may be compared to that of a 
wave proceeding from the centre outwards, as its boundary on 
the inner side ascends obliquely toward the surface, while its 
exterior termination is nearly in a vertical position. The extent 
occupied by the spawn varies considerably according to the 
season of the year, being greatest after the fungi have come 
to perfection, and is reduced to its smallest dimensions, and 
may in some cases not be discernible before the next year’s 
crop begin to make their appearance. 
For the purpose of observing the progress of various circles 
I marked them three or four years in succession, by incisions 
of different forms, by which I could distinguish clearly the 
successive annual increase, and I found it to vary in dif- 
ferent circles from eight inches to as much as two feet. The 
broadest rings that I have seen were those of the common 
