On the Spheroidal State. 91 



The paraffin was melted by immersing the flask in boiling water. 

 After half an hour the flask was allowed to cool in vacuo and 

 weighed. This operation was now repeated, the paraffin being 

 heated for an hour by enclosing the entire flask and part of the 

 tube communicating with the pump in a metallic vessel which 

 was immersed in boiling water. The paraffin having been 

 allowed to cool m vacuo was found on again weighing the flask 

 to be precisely the same weight as it was originally. I could 

 have detected a loss of 0*00005 gramme or tt^^ of the weight 

 of the paraffin if it had taken place, and considering that the 

 temperature employed was 10-20° higher than that at which 

 spheroids of paraffin are readily produced, I think one may reason- 

 ably conclude that paraffin is not appreciably volatilized at a 

 temperature which admits of the existence of a spheroid on its 

 surface. And since the spheroid must in this case be at a lower 

 temperature than the liquid on which it floats, it is even less 

 likely to produce vapour sufficient to keep it floating. In confir- 

 mation of this conclusion I may mention that I have been unable 

 to detect the slightest diminution in the size of paraffin spheroids, 

 though I was occasionally much puzzled by the appearance of 

 small spheroids in the place of large ones which I had left 

 floating a short time before, until I detected one of these large 

 drops disappearing with a slight splash which called into existence 

 a new spheroid much smaller than its predecessor. These experi- 

 ments in all their details are in accordance with Mr. Stoney's 

 explanation of the phenomenon, and they demonstrate that the 

 previously accepted theory is untenable. 



It is noteworthy that in 1874 Mr. Crookes* suggested that " The 

 phenomenon of the spheroidal state is probably due in some 

 measure to a repulsive force exerted between closely approxi- 

 mated bodies, one of which is at a very high temperature." And 

 although the true nature of" the repulsive action of radiation," to 

 which Mr. Crookes considered the phenomenon attributable was at 

 this time unknown, he ventured to anticipate " that a condition 

 similar to the spheroidal state will be found to obtain between 

 non- volatile bodies." 



* Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Socirty «f London, vol. clxiv.,part 2. 



