Oil t/tr Riwfrniii <>f flic more Volatile (rases of Air.' 467 



out the task of collecting and editing ; and it only remains for those 

 who are taking part in the preparation of the Catalogue, to do their 

 best to secure that the Catalogue shall fulfil the hopes which have 

 been raised. 



" It gives me great pleasure to make this announcement in the 

 presence of several of our foreign brethren, whose co-operation has 

 tended so much to the success of the enterprise." 



The following Papers were read : 



I. " On the Spectrum of the more Volatile Gases of Atmospheric- 

 Air, which are not Condensed at the Temperature of Liquid 

 Hydrogen. Preliminary Notice." By Professor S. 1). LiVEixo, 

 F.R.S., and Professor JAMES DEWAR, F.K.S. 



II. " Additional Notes on Boulders and other Rock Specimens from 

 the Newlands Diamond Mines, Griqualand West." By Pro- 

 fessor T. G. BONXEY, F.R.S. 



III. " The Distribution of Vertebrate Animals in India, Cevlon, and 



Burma." By W. T. BLAXFORD, LL.D., F.R.S. 



IV. " Elastic Solids at Rest or in Motion in a Liquid." By C. CHKEE, 



F.R.S. 



The Society adjourned over the Christmas Recess to Thursday, 

 January 17, 1901. 



'' On the Spectrum of the more Volatile Gases of Atmospheric 

 Air, which are not Condensed at the Temperature of Liquid 

 Hydrogen. Preliminary Notice." By S. D. LIVEING, M.'A.. 

 D.Sc,, F.R.S., Professor of Chemistry, University of Cam- 

 bridge, and JAMES DE\VAR, M.A., LL.D., F.R.S., Fullerian 

 Professor of Chemistry, Royal Institution, London. Received 

 November 15, Read December 13, 1900. 



In August last some tubes were filled at low pressure by an im- 

 proved process with the more volatile gases of the atmosphere.* The 

 air was liquefied directly from that above the roof of the Royal 

 Institution by contact at atmospheric pressure with the walls of a 

 vessel cooled below - 200 C C. "\Vhen about 200 c.c. of liquid had 



* In this paper we describe researches in continuation of those previously com- 

 municated to the Society by one of us, in a paper entitled " Application of Liquid 

 Hydrogen to the Production of High Vacua, together with their Spectroscopic 

 Examination," ' Roy. Soc. Proc.,' rol. 64, p. 231. 



2 L 2 



