174 RECORDS. 



use of the extremely low temperatures of liquid air and liquid 

 hydrogen. Atomic weights have been assigned as follows : 

 helium, 4 ; neon, 20 ; argon, 40 ; krypton, 82 ; and xenon, 

 128, and the gases seem to form a series in the periodic table 

 of elements between the fluorine and sodium groups. 



Investigations carried out on photographs of the " flash " 

 spectrum at the Sumatra eclipse of 1901 enabled Dr. Mitchell 

 to find that the remarkable variations in the intensities of the 

 lines of the ordinary solar spectrum and of the "flash " spec- 

 trum (for one does not look to be the reversal of the other) are 

 due to the different heights to which the vapors of the various 

 metals ascend above the sun's surface. As a consequence, 

 although helium lines are not found in the ordinary solar spec- 

 trum, the helium lines in the spectrum of the chromosphere 

 are very bright indeed. 



In view of the similarity of the new gases, neon, argon, etc., 

 to helium, and as the helium lines are such prominent ones in 

 eclipse spectra, it was expected that the new atmospheric gases 

 — at least the lighter ones, neon and argon — might appear in 

 the sun's atmosphere. A detailed comparison of the lines of 

 the flash spectrum measured by Dr. Mitchell with those of the 

 new gases lately published has led to the discovery that neon 

 and argon are both probably present in the chromosphere, 

 while it is doubtful whether krypton and xenon are there or not. 



S. A. Mitchell, 

 Secretary of Section. 



SECTION OF BIOLOGY. 

 March 9, 1903. 



The Section met at 8.15 P. M., Professor Bashford Dean 

 presiding. The following papers were presented : 



W. S. Sutton, Chromosomic Reduction in its Relation 

 TO Mendel's Law. 



Graham Lusk, Influence of Nutrition on the Growth 

 OF Young Mammals. 



C. L. Bristol, On the Colors and Color-Patterns of Cer- 

 tain Bermuda Fishes. 



