274 THE INCOME OF ENERGY 



eters. The fluid at first is free from visible 

 particles. Near the silk thread appears a fine 

 cloud, the particles in which grow in size until 

 they form spherules having a maximum diameter 

 of 0.75 to 1/A. They are now seen to be arranged 

 in patterns forming an open net with regular 

 polygonal meshes, having diagonals as long as-6/*, 

 The threads of the net are formed of contiguous 

 spherules. This stage, however, is not one of 

 equilibrium the net shrinks, the meshes become 

 smaller, and the spherules apparently shift their 

 points of attachment until, in place of being 

 bounded by threads composed of several spher- 

 ules, the image has the appearance of the typical 

 fine net with spherules at the nodal points joined 

 by tiny threads. Whether these joining-threads 

 or bars have a real existence, or whether they 

 are purely optical and the spherules actually 

 touch one another, it is impossible to say at 

 present. When the particles are large enough 

 to be clearly visible with a magnification of 500 

 diameters they do not show Brownian movement 

 in other words they are probably already in 

 some way linked to one another. 



The following explanation of these phenomena 

 may be given. On boiling the egg-albumin, the 

 heat chemically alters the dissolved proteid and 

 produces a suspension of particles having an 



