WILD LIFE IN A SOUTHERN COUNTY. 319 



of habit just when the nights are longest is 

 interesting. , 



Birds have a Feng-shui of their own an unwritten 

 and occult science of the healthy and unhealthy places 

 of residence and seem to select localities in accord- 

 ance with the laws of this magical interpretation of 

 nature. The sparrows, by preference, choose the 

 southern side of a house for their nests. This is very 

 noticeable on old thatched houses, where one slope of 

 the roof happens to face the north, and another the 

 south. On the north side the thatch has been known 

 to last thirty years without renewal it decays so 

 slowly. The moss, however, grows thickly on that 

 side, and if not removed would completely cover it. 

 Moss prefers the shade ; and so in the woodlands the 

 meadows on the north or shady side of the copses are 

 often quite overgrown with moss, which is pleasant to 

 walk on, but destroys the herbage. But on the south 

 side of the roof, the rain coming from that quarter, 

 the wind and sun cause the thatch to rapidly deteri- 

 orate, so that it requires to be constantly repaired. 



Now, instead of working their holes into the northern 

 slope, sheltered from wind and rain, nine out of ten 

 of the sparrows make their nests on the south, and, of 

 course, by pulling out the straw still further assist 

 the decay of the thatch there. The influence of light 

 seems to be traceable in this ; and it does occur whether 

 other birds that use trees and bushes for their nests 

 may not really be guided in their selection by some 

 similar rule. The trees and bushes they select to us look 



