Ror] TWINE, CORDS, AND BANDS 103 
and placed in e, and tightening again. This, the third position, is 
identical with the first (A), the succeeding plaits taking place just 
as before—alternately slipping off the lowest of the three loops from 
one hand into the upper of the two loops on the other. The cord so 
produced is flat (D) on one side, convex (E) on the other (WER, 11). 
47. We have now to deal with a series of cotton cords, ete., all of — 
them manufactured with more or less special apparatus: 
With a single flat needle (pl. 8).—This method is peculiar to the 
Carib portion of the community. Given a ball of cotton, one 
extremity from off it (2) is wound around all four fingers of the 
Fic. 20.—Loop plaiting; with five loops. 
left hand three times, a fourth loop being passed between the middle 
and ring fingers, the twine being otherwise kept in position by the 
thumb (A). The needle, a flat tapering piece of wood about 3 inches 
long, split at its wider end to form an “eye,” is passed under the 
two outer loops and threaded by wedging the cotton into the 
split (B). In this and in succeeding illustrations the left hand is 
purposely not represented, in order to render the varying positions 
of the different parts of the thread more clear. The needle is next 
pushed onward, and with it its contained thread, which, in its 
passage through the two vertical loops, is clutched tighter in direct 
proportion as the loops are kept more taut by the thumb, etc. 
