Among the Eskimos of the Behring Strait the year is often divided into four seasons corresponding to the usual occupations, but these divisions are indefinite and irregular in comparison with the reckoning by months[266]. Of the Indians in general it is said that as a rule four seasons are recognised and have specific names applied to them (apart from the tribes that have two). In many cases however the latter may split up both summer and winter into two subdivisions: this is stated e. g. for the Chocktaw of Louisiana[267]. The Siciatl of British Columbia however have three: spring, summer, and winter[268]. The Thompson Indians of the same province group their months into five seasons, winter beginning with the first snow that stays on the ground, and lasting until its disappearance from the valleys, generally the 2d, 3d, and 4th months, spring beginning with the disappearance of the snow, and embracing the period of frequent Chinook winds, 5th and 6th months, summer 7th, 8th, and 9th months, early autumn (Indian summer) 10th and 11th months, and late fall which takes up the rest of the year[269]. The neighbouring tribe of the Shuswap recognise five seasons exactly corresponding to those of the Thompson Indians[270]. The natural phenomena from which the seasons are determined and named vary according to the geographical latitude, the nature of the country, and the mode of life, i. e. according as the tribe lives by hunting or by agriculture. Certain writers state that the Indians of Virginia divided the year into five seasons: the budding of spring, the earing of corn or ‘roasting-ear time’, summer or ‘the highest sun’, corn-gathering or ‘fall of the leaf’, and winter[271]. The Maida of northern California say that the seasons--the rainy season, the leafy season, the dry season, and the season of falling leaves--were instituted by Kodoyampeh, the Creator[272]. The Kiowa distinguished only four seasons: _saigya_ or _säta_, considered to begin at the first snowfall; _asegya_, spring (the etymology of the word is unknown, a more recent name is _son-pata_, ‘grass-springing’), which begins when grass and buds sprout and the mares foal; _paigya_, summer (_pai_, ‘sun’), which begins when the grass has ceased to sprout and lasts until fires become necessary in the _tipis_ at night; _paongya_, autumn (the thickening of the coat or fur, _pa_, of the buffalo and other animals), sometimes called ‘the time when the leaves are red’, begins when the leaves change colour[273]. It is to be noted that these seasons must be of very different length. In the same way the Dakota reckon five months each for winter and summer and only one month each for spring and autumn, but it is expressly mentioned that this reckoning is not strictly followed[274]. The Pawnee divided the year into a warm and a cold period, and also into the four seasons, each of which however was normalised to three months[275]. The account of the Comanches is