42 WATER. 



43. The solution of water in the air may easily be 

 seen, by observing the steam issuing from the spout 

 of a teakettle. When the water boils strongly, and 

 there is a large volume of steam coming out of the 

 spout, we observe that just where it comes out, the 

 steam is almost invisible ; at a little distance it be- 

 comes white and cloudy, and when it gets further out 

 into the air it soon disappears and is again invisible. 

 The reason of this is, that hot steam is quite colorless 

 and invisible^ like air ; and it only becomes apparent 

 to us when it is partly cooled by rushing out into the 

 cold air, and therefore is beginning to condense, and 

 it would fall to the ground in a shower of little drops 

 like rain, if it were not dissolved and carried away 

 by the air, as fast as it issues from the teakettle. 

 When a large quantity of steam is quickly cooled, as 

 in escaping from the funnel of a steam-boat, it is con- 

 densed, and falls in the form of water. 



44. The quantity of moisture in the air is also ren- 

 dered apparent to us, whenever a cold substance is 

 exposed to it; this cools the vapor in the air so 

 much, that it is condensed and appears again as water, 

 in little drops on the cold surface; thus a bottle of 

 cold water brought into warm damp air, speedily be- 

 comes covered on the outside with dew, or water thus 

 condensed from the air. 



45,' The substance next in importance to air is 

 WATER, which exists naturally in three different 

 states: namely, in the solid state as ice; in the fluid 

 state in its ordinary condition; and lastly, as vapor 



