fourteen protruding bodies repeat the "lithium spike" (proto-element 5) and
are grouped round a central ovoid. This would appear to connect it with
lithium (2 on Plate IV) rather than with fluorine (3 in Plate IV), with
which it is often classed. The "lithium spike" re-appears in potassium and
rubidium. These details, again, will come out more clearly later.

VI. _The Star._--A flat star, with five interpenetrating tetrahedra in the
centre, is the characteristic of neon and its allies (4 on Plate IV)
leaving apart helium, which, as may be seen by referring to 3, Plate IV,
has an entirely different form.

There are thus six clearly defined forms, typical of classes, with
two--lithium and fluorine--of doubtful affinities. It is worthy of notice
that in diatomic elements _four_ funnels open on the faces of tetrahedra;
in triatomic, _six_ funnels on the faces of cubes; in tetratomic, _eight_
funnels on the faces of octahedra.

Thus we have a regular sequence of the platonic solids, and the question
suggests itself, will further evolution develop elements shaped to the
dodecahedron and the icosahedron?

* * * * *

II.

We now pass from the consideration of the outer forms of the chemical
elements to a study of their internal structure, the arrangement within the
element of more or less complicated groups--proto-elements--capable of
separate, independent existence; these, once more, may be dissociated into
yet simpler groups--hyper-meta-proto-elements--equally capable of separate,