Q. Why does paper pucker when it is wetted?
A. Because the moisture (penetrating the paper) drives its particles further apart; and (as the moisture is absorbed unequally by the paper) some parts are more enlarged than others; in consequence of which, the paper blisters or puckers.
Q. Why do the weather toys called capu’chins lift the cowl over the figures in wet weather, and remove it in dry?
A. The cowl of the capu’chin is fastened to a piece of cat-gut. When the weather is wet, the moisture swells the cat-gut and it is shortened, by which means the cowl is pulled up; but in dry weather, the string is loosened, and the cowl falls down.
Q. In another weather toy, the man comes out in wet weather, and the lady in fine:—Why is this?
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).