RIVERS. FISHES. 387 



Q. Why does a SPOON (in a glass of water) 

 always appear BENT ? 



A. Because as the light of the spoon 

 emerges from the mater, it is refracted. 



And the spoon looks like ABC. (Seethe last figure.) 



Q. Why does a river always appear more 

 shallow than it really is ? 



A. Because the light of the bottom of 

 the river is REFRACTED as it emerges out 

 of the water : and (as a stick is not so 

 long when it is bent, as it is when it is 

 straight) so the river seems less deep 

 than it really is. 



Q. How much deeper is a river than it seems 

 to be? 



A. One-third. If, therefore, a river 

 seems only 4 feet deep, it is really 6 feet 

 deep. 



N. B. Many boys get out of their depth in bathing, 

 in consequence of this deception. Remember, a river 

 is always one-third deeper than it appears to be : thus, 

 if a river seems to be 4 feet deep, it is in reality feet 

 deep, and so on. 



Q. Why do fishes always seem to be nearer 

 the surface of a river than they really are ? 



A. Because the rays of light from the 

 fish are refracted as they emerge from the 



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