492 A NATURALIST ON THE "CHALLENGER." 



travel rapidly along the lines, and leave them almost as fine as 

 those sketched with the brush. 



For sharp curves, handles with only two needles are used. 

 For shading, handles with needles set in a variety of forms are 

 employed, suited to producing broad flat tints, or, for example, 

 pointed or rounded scales of dragons or fish. For the black 

 parts of the design, Indian ink is exclusively used ; it looks 

 blueish when under the skin. Bright red is produced with ver- 

 milion. A madder-colour is also used, and sometimes a yellow. 



So rapidly is the work done that an elaborately finished 

 design of a dragon or Japanese girl covering all the front of the 

 forearm will be completed in a couple of hours. Very little pain 

 is caused by the process, and not any or a little scarcely percep- 

 tible bleeding. The area tattooed is slightly inflamed subse- 

 quently, but not so as to cause .inconvenience of any kind, and 

 becomes quite healed in eight or ten days. 



The results produced are astonishing in their softness, their 

 correctness and delicacy of outline and minuteness of detail; 

 and very far surpass those attained in tattooing by any other 

 race. In a representation of a fish or dragon every scale is 

 separately shaded, often with two strengths of shading, and in 

 birds every feather is separately finished. In some cases large 

 figures on the backs and shoulders of coolies are made to stand 

 out in relief by means of an even dark shading, extending over 

 the whole background. The artists recommend themselves to 

 Europeans, by each asserting that he is the man who tattooed 

 the Duke of Edinburgh. 



With regard to gestures and expressions of the Japanese, I was 

 struck by the entire absence of any gesture accompanying affirma- 

 tion. A Japanese says " he," which means " yes," without moving 

 the head at all or making any other sign. In negation the hand 

 is sometimes shaken across the body with the fingers hung down. 

 On receiving a present of money or payment, or a cup of saki, 

 the hand is carried up with it to the forehead as a gesture of 

 thanks. In salutation, or as an expression that a person feels 

 honoured by the condescension of another, a curious half sucking 

 half hissing noise is made by drawing in the breath with the 

 lips partly closed, as if in sipping a fluid. 



