A. The two figures are attached to a piece of _cat-gut_ in such a manner, that when the _cat-gut is shortened by moisture_, it pulls the _man out_; but when it is _loose_, the woman _falls out by her own weight_. Q. _Why are WET STOCKINGS DIFFICULT to PULL ON?_ A. The moisture (by penetrating the threads of the stockings) causes them to _shrink in size_. Q. _What is the MOST RAINY spot in ENGLAND?_ A. Keswick (in Cumberland); and then Kendal (a market town in Westmoreland). (In Keswick, about 63 inches of rain fall in a year. In Kendal, 58; Manchester, 38; Liverpool, 34; Dublin and Cambridge, 25; Lincoln, 24; London, 21; and in Paris, only 18.) Q. _In which PART of the DAY does the MOST RAIN fall?_ A. More rain falls by _night_ than by day; because the cold night _condenses the air_, and diminishes its capacity for holding vapour in solution. Q. _Does more rain fall in SUMMER or in WINTER time?_ A. There are _more rainy days_ from September to March; but _heavier_ rains between March and September. Q. _Why are there MORE RAINY DAYS from September to March, than from March to September?_ A. Because the temperature of the air is _constantly decreasing_, and its capacity for vapour decreases also; in consequence of which, it is perpetually obliged to _part with some of its vapour_ in rain. Q. _In what PART of the WORLD does RAIN fall MOST ABUNDANTLY?_ A. Near the _equator_; and the quantity of rain _decreases_ as we approach the _poles_. Q. _Why does MORE RAIN fall at the EQUATOR than at the POLES?_ A. Because the _contrast_ between the _night and day_ is very great. The hot air _absorbs moisture very abundantly_ during the day; and when the cold night _condenses_ the air, it is unable to _retain the moisture imbibed_, and some of it falls in rain. CHAPTER XXV. WATER. Q. _What is WATER?_ A. Water is composed of _two gases_, oxygen and hydrogen. (In 9 lbs. of water, 8 are oxygen, and 1 is hydrogen.) Q. _Why is WATER FLUID?_ A. Because its particles are kept separate by _latent heat_; but when a certain quantity of this latent heat is driven out, _water becomes solid_, and is called ice. Q. _How can WATER be converted into a GAS?_ A. By increasing its _latent heat_, the particles, of water are again _subdivided into invisible steam_. Q. _Why is PUMP water called HARD water?_ A. Because it is laden with foreign matters, and will not readily _dissolve substances_ immersed in it. Q. _What makes PUMP-water HARD?_ A. Because when it filters through the earth, it becomes impregnated with _sulphate of lime_, and many other impurities from the _earths and minerals_ with which it comes in contact. Q. _Why is it difficult to WASH our HANDS clean with HARD water?_ A. Because the _soda of the soap_ combines with the _sulphuric acid_ of the hard water, and the _oil of the soap_ with the _lime_, and float in flakes on the top of the water. N.B. Sulphate of lime consists of sulphuric acid and lime.