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In many ways the early history of the circles belongs to the UFO community. Reports of circular markings have been investigated by UFO researchers on a number of occasions prior to the growth of interest in the 1980s, and have often been interpreted as UFO landing sites. Particularly well-known cases include markings in a spinach patch in France in 1954, circles at Warminster in the United Kingdom and circles found in a reed bed in Tully, Australia in 1966. A witness at the site reported seeing a 'UFO' take off, leaving a patch of uprooted and scattered reeds, in a circular shape, which It was a UFO researcher who carried out the first recorded survey of a circle in the United Kingdom. In August 1980, the Wiltshire Times reported a formation of three circles which had appeared near Westbury, below one of the white horses which are carved in chalk and scattered on hillsides in this region. lan Mryzyglod investigated the circles and concluded that they were not ‘landing marks' of a UFO. He then contacted Dr Terence Meaden, an atmospheric physicist who suggested that the probable cause was a summer whirlwind. Mryzyglod arranged for samples of the affected crop to be tested at Bristol University, where no abnormalities were detected. Dr Meaden published eye-witness accounts of circles forming in the United Kingdom, one of which dated from the 1930s (see Further Reading). The witness, Katherine Skin, recalled seeing two circles form on a hot August day in 1934 in Cambridgeshire. Their appearance was preceded by a whirlwind in which stalks, seeds and dust were visible. Inside the circle she saw that some stalks had been plaited. Another witness described an event in South Wales, dating from the 1940s, and Meaden also wrote of a double ring photographed in 1960, in Gloucestershire. This was reported in the Evesham Journal and attracted quite a number of visitors. Andrews and Delgado (see Further Reading) quote a farmer, Simon Brown, recalling circles on his farm at Headbourne Worthy almost every year since 1958. Paul Fuller, in The Crop Watcher 14, lists a number of other 'early' circles, including reports from the Netherlands, Canada, France, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Turkey and the United States. The list runs to some 78 items, mainly rings, simple circles or ellipses and multiple circles. Perhaps the most famous example was published by Bob Rickard, who came across a woodcut from 1678, in a book on folklore, Bygone Hertfordshire showing a 'Mowing Devil* at work, creating what looks like a primitive crop circle. The text tells how a farmer, who was in dispute with his farm hand over the price of the job, swore he would rather the devil cut the crop. The next night a fiery light was observed in the field and the crop was later found to be cut in precise circles. Although this has been disputed as a representation of the phenomenon we recognize now (mainly because of the description of the crop as cut), it seems beyond doubt that the circles have been occurring for many years. 2. Early History of The circles came to be known as a UFO nest. In the next few years, as circles continued to be discovered, researchers began to accumulate data and older records came to light. These early records assumed greater importance when the subject later became surrounded in controversy. Eye-Witness and Historical Accounts