With an inlproved~~IAIER-LEIBSITZ collision chambar absolute values of the totalexcitation cross sections of the rare gases were msJsured. The half width of energy distribution in the beam of exciting electrons was approximately 0.7 eV. The results for He and Xe are in reasonable agreement with the excitation functions givzn by MAIER-LEIBSITZ, if some necessary corrections (especidly with regard to contact potentials) are made. Only the cross sections obtained by us are a little smaller. Furthermore the better fine structure yielded more favourable possibilitiss of comparison with other measurements pilblished so far. The error should not be greater than 30:;. *) Jetzt Institut fiir 1Cletallph\-sik und Reinstmetalle der DAW zu Berlin in Dresden, WinterberpstraBe.