w Year's day is made to fall on the first new moon after the sun enters
Aquarius and varies between 21st January and 19th of February" (Douglas,
_op. cit._ p. 258). It would seem as though some fresh impulse, or
institution of moon-cult, had influenced Shun, Yaou's successor, to
reorganize the empire, which had been simply divided into quarters, and
subdivide it into 4x3=12 districts.

Another interesting evolution of a numerical system, the origin of which
can be traced to the four positions and seven stars of Ursa Major, is
discernible in the Chinese zodiac. This, the earliest division of the
ecliptic in China, consists of "28 lunar mansions, which are grouped
together in four classes of seven each, assigned to the four quarters of
heaven" (Legge, vol. III, p. 24, Introduction to Shu-King). It is to the
observation of precisely the same impressive phenomena that the universal
adoption of the numbers 12, 4 and 7 may safely be attributed. The further
division, by Emperor Yu, of the Chinese Empire into five domains or zones,
finds an interesting parallelism in Mexico and Central America.

Mr. Wickersham describes Yu's division in the following concise manner:
"The Imperial domain extended five hundred le in every direction from the
capital, north, south, east and west, and was therefore one thousand le
square, with its sides facing the cardinal points; the domain of the
Nobles was an additional territory five hundred le broad on each of the
four sides; the Peace-securing domain was then added, beyond which came
the domain of Restraint, and at the greatest extremity the Wild domain. By
this arrangement, the sacred center, the capital where the 'Son of Heaven'
resided, was completely surrounded by loyal officials and subjects; the
most loyal were nearest the center while at the farthest extremity were
the wild and dangerous tribes and criminals undergoing the greater
banishment. By this square method of disposing of the population, the
quiet and orderly members of society were required to reside near the
capital, while the turbulent were placed toward the outer limits, serving
to free the center from turmoil and to act as a barrier to the inroads of
outside barbarians."

Among the Zunis and Mexicans the spider's web is met with as an image of
the division of their territory into quarters, half-quarters and
concentric circles.

In Peru a record exists of a system of irrigation by which means the
territory surrounding the