OCEANIC MIGRATIONS. 



169 



one time took to be an islet in their cluster, and at another, in that of 

 Nukufetau, but it may have been a small island, which we did not 

 see, at a little distance from both. 



GENERAL ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Besides the particular facts with respect to each group, which we 

 have adduced in support of our opinions concerning the migrations 

 of the natives, there are others of a more general character, which 

 may serve to illustrate and confirm these conclusions. Those which 

 we shall notice here are the names of the months, those of the prin- 

 cipal winds, and the numerals. 



MONTHS. 



The following are the names of the months in the three most im- 

 portant groups of Polynesia : 



HAWAIIAN. 



Matalii, . . 

 Taelo, . . . 



Taidua, . . 



Nana, . . . 



Welo, . . . 



Ititi, . . . 



Taaona, . . 



Hinaia-eleele, 

 Tamahoe-mua, 

 TamaJwe-hope, 

 Itua, 

 Welehu, . . 



February. 

 March. 



April. 

 May. 

 June. 

 July. 



August. 



September. 



October. 



November. 



December. 



January. 



The Samoans and Hawaiians have only twelve months in their 

 year ; the Tahitians reckon thirteen. Mr. Ellis, however, (Polyne- 

 sian Researches, vol. i. p. 79), informs us that their calculations were 

 not very exact, and that they omitted or added the additional month, 

 according as the length of the year seemed to require. In general, 

 very little attention is paid by the South Sea islanders to the division 

 of time, and as we draw nearer to the equator, this little diminishes. 

 Thus at Rotuma they have a year of six months, and when this is 

 completed they begin to number over again ; while at the Kingsmill 



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