A. As the flame of a candle is confined to a _very small wick_, it is _severed_ from it by the breath; and (being unsupported) _must go out_. Q. _Why is a SMOULDERING WICK sometimes REKINDLED by blowing it?_ A. The breath carries the air to it with _great rapidity_; and the oxygen of the air kindles the _red hot wick_, as it kindles charred wood. Q. _Why is not the red hot wick kindled by the air AROUND it, without BLOWING it?_ A. Because oxygen is not supplied with sufficient freedom, unless it be _blown_ to the wick. Q. _When is this experiment most likely to succeed?_ A. In _frosty_ weather; because the air contains more oxygen then, _being condensed by the cold_. Q. _Why does a POKER, LAID ACROSS a dull FIRE, revive it?_ A. For two reasons. 1st--Because the poker _concentrates the heat_, and therefore increases it: and 2ndly--Because the poker _arrests the air_ which passes over the fire, and _produces a draught_. Q. _Why do SEVERAL PIECES of WOOD or coal burn BETTER than ONE?_ A. When there are two or three pieces of wood on a fire, the air _(circulating round them) produces an eddy_ or draught, which draws up the fire. Q. _Why are STOVES fixed on the FLOOR of a room?_ A. In order that the air, _on the lower part of the room_, may be heated by the fire. Q. _Would not the air of the lower part of a room be heated equally well, if the stoves were fixed higher up?_ A. No; the heat of a fire has a very little effect upon the air _below the level of the grate_; and, therefore, every grate should be as _near to the floor_ as possible. Q. _Why are our FEET so COLD when we sit close by a good fire?_ A. As the fire consumes the air which passes over it, _cold air_ rushes through the crevices of the doors and windows _along the bottom of the room_ to supply the deficiency; and these currents of cold air, _rushing constantly over our feet_, deprive them of their warmth. Q. _If a piece of PAPER be laid FLAT on a clear fire, it will NOT BLAZE, but CHAR. Why so?_ A. The carbon of a clear fire, being sufficiently hot to unite with the oxygen of the air, _produces carbonic acid gas_, which soon envelops the paper laid flat upon the cinders: but carbonic acid gas will not _blaze_. Q. _If you BLOW the paper, it will BLAZE immediately. Why so?_ A. By blowing, or opening the door suddenly, _the carbonic acid is dissipated_, and the paper is instantly fanned into flame. Q. _Why does WATER EXTINGUISH a FIRE?_ 1st--Because the water _forms a coating_ over the fuel, and keeps it from the air: 2ndly--The conversion of _water into steam_, draws off the _heat_ of the burning fuel. Q. _Why does a LITTLE WATER make a fire FIERCER, while a LARGER quantity of water puts it OUT?_ A. Water is composed of _oxygen and hydrogen_; when, therefore, the fire can decompose the water into its simple elements, it serves for _fuel_ to the flame. Q. _How can WATER serve for FUEL to fire?_