Because they live on the fat they have put on during the summer, as the article Hibernation explains.
Why could not the Norsemen who visited America in the 11th century found permanent settlements?
The natives were hostile and the Norsemen had no firearms. The wonderful story of the first voyages to America is told in the article Vinland.
How can you tell how far away a flash of lightning is?
Sound travels so much more slowly than light does, that if the flash is a mile away you see it five seconds before you hear the report; so by counting the seconds you can measure the distance. The Index, under “Lightning: distance” refers you to the article Sound, by Professor Poynting.
Why does your hair stand on end when you are frightened?
The article Skin, by Professor Parsons, will tell you about this curious action of the muscles.
Why do we count by tens?
Because people began by counting on their fingers and thumbs, and when they got to ten they had to begin again. Some tribes used to make twenty their basis for counting, adding in their toes. The article Arithmetic tells you this; and a newspaper critic said of this article that he was amazed to find it one of the most readable things in the Britannica. The truth is that there are no subjects that are dull in themselves. There is a dull way of treating them, and there is also the Britannica way, which is to show you how things came to be as they are. That is why children are delighted when “Britannica time” comes, the hour when the parent sits down by the bookcase and tells them true stories out of the volumes and shows them the exquisite pictures.
Are men or women oftener stammerers?