174 A. W. Wright—Gases contained in Meteorites. 
of the meteorites and comets is afforded by the close resemblance 
of the spectrum of the gas obtained from the stony meteorites to 
the spectra of those comets which have thus far been observed. 
any observations respecting this point were made upon the 
gases collected from the various meteorites examined, in the 
course of the investigations which have been described. Vac- 
uum-tubes of the form usually employed in spectroscopic work 
were attached to the pump and filled by the meteoritic gases as 
they were evolved. After the latter had been pumped out for 
the most part into the coilecting tube, a freezing mixture was 
applied to one of the tubes of the pump and allowed to remain 
until the watery vapor was condensed, thus rendering the 
gas in the vacuum-tube very nearly free from moisture. As 
tubes when placed before the slit of a spectroscope, a spectrum 
is seen. which varies with the conditions. That from the capil- 
lary portion of the tube shows the hydrogen lines brilliantly, 
together with the bands due to carbon compounds. In the 
wide part, however, the hydrogen lines are entirely absent, only 
the carbon bands being visible. When the illumination is sufl- 
ciently strong these are five in number, all sharp at the least 
appeared. Of the latter, the one in the greenish-blue is brighter 
than the other. A resemblance to the spectra of the comets 1s 
