51 



Fig. 66. 



Fig. 67. 



Fig. 68. 



It is curious to uote that if a native be given a steel 

 knife, it will be used for cutting in much the same manner aa 

 the shell. The handle of the knife is held by the thumb 

 against the base of the index finger, while the blunt edge of 

 the blade rests against the palm. All fingers grasp the rod 

 and help to press the stick against the cutting edge, and im- 

 part the upward, half-circular motion to the hand. See fig. 

 67. 



So, too, when chipping a rod, not the handle, but the 

 blade of the knife is held in the hand, the weight of the 

 former giving momentum to the movements of the knife. See 

 fig. 68. 



Miscellaneous. 



The most general mode of carrying an infant is to sit 

 it astride on its parent's shoulder, the child holding on to 

 the parent's head for support. On the march, a child often 

 falls asleep in this position, and then the bearer may be seen 

 holding one of his hands up as a cushion, upon which the 

 child may rest its head. 



Less frequently to be seen is the method usually adopted 

 by whites, in which the child is held by both arms. The fact 

 that the hands are thus preoccupied no doubt accounts to 

 some extent for the limited use of this method, which is rarely 

 seen further south. See fig. 69. 



It has already beon stated that infants are wrapped in 

 bark of trees, and carried under the arms of their mothers. 



