In measurem::mts of the photoelectric effect on semiconductors two types of relationship ]uwe boen found between the frequency of incident radiation v and the obsenlld photoelectric current lobs. In one type, the plot of log lObs against v fits th( theoretical Fowler curve (Fowler 1931) ; in other cases, however, a curve is obtained which is in two parts, each of which can be fitted to a separate Fowler curvc. Thus Suhrmann, Wedler, andDierk (1958a, 1958b) obtained " composite" curves from bismuth films, and we have found both types of behaviour with evaporated nickel films undergoing stepwise oxidation. The problem of interpreting such composite curves is quite a general one. A composite curve may be interpreted in terms of two emitting mechanisms which act independently. The observed photoelectric current is then we sum of the individual currents, so that log IObs=log (II +1 2 ) =log {A1r.p(v-Vl)+A 2 r.p(v-V 2 )}, where r.p is the Fowler function and VI and V 2 are the two threshold frequencies. Such a relationship, in a restricted range of frequency, gives a very good fit to two Fowler curves intersecting at a frequency slightly above that of the higher threshold V 2• (The exact point of intersection for lines of best fit depends on the * Manuscript