52 Messrs. A. C. and A. E. Jessup on the 
this analogy is not very good, yet it does more or less 
express our meaning, for we might consider that the 
element proto-beryllium acts as it were as a seed, and its 
evolution products grow from it, preserving very much the 
same shape and characteristics. We do not necessarily mean 
that the successive products of evolution are merely magnified 
products of the original antecedent, but rather that each 
evolution product consists of groups of nuclei, each nucleus 
having the shape of the original antecedent element, proto- 
beryllium. 
On these grounds, it is not unreasonable to suppose that if 
in the process of evolution an unstable element were produced 
it would break down and give off one or more of these nuclei. 
This nucleus would have a mass equal to that of the original 
antecedent element. It is these nuclei which in our opinion 
determine the particles. As mentioned previously, we believe 
that the atomic weight of proto-beryllium and proto-boron 
lies between 1 and 4, and this does not differ from the results 
so far obtained for the mass of the particles. If it be granted 
that an « particle is a proton, we can trace the change throuoh 
which an atom formed according to our theory would go. 
For example, let us consider the case of radium. The atom 
is approximately 224 times the weight of a hydrogen atom, 
and has been evolved from an element having an atomic 
weight not far from 1*3. That is to say, the outer ring of the 
element radium could be looked upon as being composed of 
nuclei, each nucleus being, by our principle of "heredity," 
of the same type and shape as that of the original element 
proto-beryllium. Now this element, radium, is unstable. 
It proceeds to lose one of its nuclei. The whole of the 
remaining atom will then seek to find the next position of 
stability. It might take the position of the last element in 
group I., but this would be no more stable than its original posi- 
tion ; and so it seeks to establish itself in group VIII., form in o- 
the emanation. Now when the a particie, which we believe 
becomes an atom of proto-beryllium, leaves the atom of 
radium, the outer ring of radium is left with groups of eight 
electrons. That is to say, in so far as its outer ring only is 
concerned, the emanation belongs to the helium family. Now 
this emanation again proves to be an unstable atom, "possibly 
owing to the fact that its outer ring is of quite a different 
type to the inner ones. It again breaks down giving up 
more a particles. Now inasmuch as the outer ring of the 
emanation is of the helium type, so the particles are 
helium atoms. 
So, when radium turns to the emanation the proto-beryllium 
protons must turn into helium protons. The single corpuscles 
