I recently posted this insight to the DNA-NEWBIE mailing list.

I have found it interesting that I share fairly large segments with a 10th and a 14th cousin but none with a 4th cousin that my Dad does share DNA with. Norwegian records are good so all these cousins have good paper trails. i did notice that we all come from many generations of large families…

This blog article offers a good mathematical explanation of this phenominum.

http://ongenetics.blogspot.com/2011/02/genetic-genealogy-and-single-segment.html?m=1