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All of them reckon by lunar months ; for the 

 mo ft part the year has but twelve ; fome, how-* 

 ever, give it always thirteen. There are no great 

 inconveniencies attending this diverfity amongft 

 people who have no annals, and whofe affairs do 

 not depend on annual epochas. There is likewife 

 a great variety in the names of the feafons and 

 months amongft them ; becaufe in all thefe Court- 

 is tries the feafons for hunting and fifhing, feed- time 

 and harveft, the birth and fall of the leaf, the 

 paUages of particular beafts and birds, the time 

 when the roe-bucks change their hair, and when 

 different animals are in rut, ferve to diftinguifh all 

 thefe things which, befides, vary confiderably in 

 the different cantons. 



In fome nations, the years are reckoned by the 

 figns, except when a perfon intends to fpecify his 

 age, and on fome occafions, when they make ufe 

 of lunar months. There is no where any diftinc- 

 tion of weeks, and the days have no name in any 

 of their languages. They have four fixed points 

 in the day, to wit, fun-rifing and fun-fetting, mid- 

 day and mid-night, with refpect to which or any o- 

 ther time of the day, they are never deceived. But 

 the aftronomical exa&nefs to make the lunar years 

 agree with the folar, of which the Baron de la Hon- 

 tan does them the honour, is a mere imagination of 

 that writer. 



They have no chronological fupputation, and 

 if they preferve the epochas of certain remarkable 

 events, they do not reckon the time elapfed fince 

 to a fcrupulous exa&nefs ; but content themfelyes 

 with retaining the fads therofelves, and have in- 



- vented 



