On the other hand, from French West Africa only 5 falls and 3 finds have been reported throughout an area slightly larger even than India’s. This country thus provides an example of a sparsely populated region, in many provinces of which a meteorite fall might pass unobserved, and a fallen meteorite might remain undiscovered. A second factor is the _degree of civilization_ reached by the inhabitants of a particular area. Those regions of the world which have been settled the longest and which have seen the development of the higher cultures will be the most likely to support a populace that will take an interest in and report the occurrences of natural events like meteorite falls. Such a populace will also be more likely to bring suspected meteorites to the attention of experts. For example, up to 1953, 55 witnessed falls and 3 unwitnessed falls were known from France, a country of relatively small area, but with a high population density and an advanced degree of civilization. From the whole vast area of Siberia, on the other hand, only 20 meteorite falls and 23 finds have been reported during the same interval. In the past, scientists have suggested that various natural forces, such as the magnetic field of the earth or the attraction of high and massive mountain ranges, might cause more meteorites to fall in one place than another. But all available evidence indicates that this is not the case. The fall of meteorites upon the earth has been and is a process that shows no apparent pattern. Only “human” factors (like population density and scientific interest in meteorites) can be considered as accounting for any concentrations of meteorite falls in particular regions or countries. In historic times, the number of man-built structures (houses, barns, hotels, office buildings, etc.) has increased tremendously. Such structures have presented an ever-expanding target to hits by falling meteorites. On pages 73, 74 is a listing of some of the meteorites that have struck and damaged buildings during the last 150 years or so. The items included in this list were chosen on the basis of interest, authenticity, and concreteness of detail. The stories of all these meteorite falls are exciting, but none more so, perhaps, than that of the Beddgelert, North Wales, stone. This meteorite fell in the small hours of the morning on September 21, 1949. Not many people saw the fireball that accompanied its descent because of the early hour (1:45 a.m.), but one of the few persons who happened to be outside said that it resembled a huge rocket as it flashed across the sky. He also reported that the appearance of the fireball nearly frightened the swans in the local park to death, the birds fleeing in all directions.