Wandering Birds and Men. S21 
quarter, the wind and sun cause the thatch to rapidly 
deteriorate, so that it requires to be constantly re- 
paired. 
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 much the same as others; but the 
birds may none the less have some reasons of their 
own. Andas certain localities, as previously observed, 
are great favourites with them and others are deserted, 
possibly Feng-shui may have something to do with 
that also. 
The nomadic tribes that live in tents, and wander 
over thousands of miles in the East, at first sight 
seem to roam aimlessly, or to be determined simply 
by considerations of water and pasture. But those 
who have lived with and studied them say that, 
though they have no maps, each tribe, and even each 
particular family, has its own special route and special 
camping-ground. Could these routes be mapped 
out, they would present an interlaced pattern of 
lines crossing and recrossing without any appreciable 
order ; yet one family never interferes with another 
Y 
