but twelve lunations, and now and then intercalate a thirteenth
month, in order to keep the folar and lunar year in harmony;
how often they do this, I pretend not to fay. Th e names of
the months are fubjoined for the fatisfadtion of my readers.
1. O-porore-o-mooa. * • - - ” March.
2. O-porore-o-mooree. . ~ ~ Apri .
3. Mooreha. - - " * May,
_ , , _ _ Tune. 4. Oohee-eiya. - J
3. I looree-ama. (owhirree-ama) - “ Ju Y'
6. Taowa. - . - - ' ' A u Suft'
7 . Hooree-erre-erre. (owhirree-erre-erre) - September.
8. O-Te-aree - - - “ ° a ° ber-
9. O -T e - ta i. - : - - - November.
10. Warehoo. (Owarahew. Hawkefworth,v. ii. p. 168) December.
Was-ahou. - - '
12 . Pipirree. - - - - - February.
13. A-oo-noonoo.
Each
» Some of the months have names, whofe fignification is known; of the reft I can give
no account, i Of .r°n-o-mo6a, fignifies the firft hunger or fU P f, a Oforor.-o-miu,
has the fignification of the Ufi bung" ; the foregoing oblervation on the fcarcity of the bread-
fruit about the time of its maturity, when it is plucked in quantities for making the
or four-pafte, may in feme meafure account for the names of thefe two months. The
* 7 ' fourth
■ Each month contains according to the account. given tome, a r t s
twenty nine days, which approaches nearly to the real length of a SCIENCES
lunation^ I f their year has but twelve months, it contains only
348 days; but i f the thirteenth.be added, it? fonfifts of 377 days;
in the firft cafe, the year is 17 days too Ihort, and in the fecotid,
it exceeds the folar year by twelve days. This circumftance leads
me to fufpedt, that they have fome method o f harmonizing the
folar and lunar yean unknown to us. What is more-remarkable,
I found that every one o f the 29 days o f the month has a peculiar
name, which they have in common with the Perlians, who
appropriate to each day o f the month a particular name. Their
month begins from the firft appearance o f the new moon, and
after the 28th and- 29th day o f the month, they added that the
moon was dead, maraina-mcitte, which proves that their months
by no meaijs eonfift exactly of 29 days; but that - they contain
fometimes 30, and fometimes. 29 days only, according -as the new
moon makes her appearance - fooner or later: for i f they reckon
T t t 2 exactly
fourth month Oehti-eiya. has certainly a reference to angling for fijh. The eighth month
O-Te-aree, is thus called from the young coed-nuts, which probably are then moft plentiful.
The ninth month O-Te-tai, alludes to the fea. The eleventh W<e-lbou, to their
doth, and the twelfth Pipirree, to fome covetoufitefs or fcantinefs, perhaps in food. The
words included in parentbe/ifes are the various readings o f the name, having heard it pronounced
by another perfon in a different manner.
*