B. F. Koons — High Terraces of Eastern ( 'oinu-rfinit. 4i ) 5 



est area which can be enclosed by its actual boundary. 

 This fundamental principle of the tensile reaction tending to 

 reduce the bounding area or hounding perimeter to a minimum 

 atVords a very simple and elegant explanation of the whole 

 class of phenomena under consideration.* As already inti- 

 mated, cases 1 and 2 evidently come under this principle; for 

 the common bounding perimeter produced by the union of the 

 meniscuses, in tending by virtue of its elastic reaction to be- 

 come a minimum, draws the two floating bodies together. The 

 same is true of case 3, provided the floating bodies are brought 



duced by the int. Tiering meniscuses. But when the proximity 

 is not sufficient to secure this condition, the disturbance of 

 dine to tbifl interference results, as we have seen, 

 in the recession of the floating bodies. For in the latter case 

 the first effect of the interfering meniscuses (as previously 

 shown) is to augment the radius of curvature at the intersect- 

 ing portions : this is evidently equivalent to a tendency to in- 

 crease the boundiiiL' perimeter of the meniscuses enveloping 

 each of the bodies; so that the minimum principle operates to 

 separate them. 



Hence the two fundamental principles of capillarity, 1st. 



Agricultural School, 



