(34 DESCRIPTION AND ILLUSTRATION. 



which also bear upon the subdivision last above mentioned: "Above" is 

 indicated by holding the left hand horizontal, and in front of the body, 

 fingers open, but joined together, palm upward. The right hand is then 

 placed horizontal, fingers open but joined, palm downward, an inch or more 

 above the left, and raised and lowered a few inches several times, the left 

 hand being perfectly still. If the thing indicated as "above" is only a little 

 above, this concludes the sign, but if it be considerably above, the right 

 hand is raised higher and higher as the height to be expressed is greater, 

 until, if enormously above, the Indian will raise his right hand as high as 

 possible, and, fixing his eyes on the zenith, emit a duplicate grunt, the more 

 prolonged as he desires to express the greater height. All this time the left 

 hand is held perfectly motionless. " Below " is exactly the same, except 

 that all movement is made by the left or lower hand, the right being held 

 motionless, palm downward, and the eyes looking down. 



The code of the Cistercian monks was based in large part on a system 

 of opposition which would more likely be wrought out by an intentional 

 process of invention than by spontaneous figuration, and is rather of mne- 

 monic than suggestive value They made two fingers at the right side of 

 the nose stand for "friend," and the same at the left side for "enemy," by 

 some fanciful connection with right and wrong, and placed the little finger 

 on the tip of the nose for "fool" merely because it had been decided to put 

 the forefinger there for "wise man." 



DETAILS OF DESCRIPTION AND ILLUSTRATION. 



The signs of the Indians appear to consist of motions rather than posi- 

 tions — a fact enhancing the difficulty both of their description and illustra- 

 tion — and the motions are generally large and free, seldom minute. It 

 seems also to be the general rule among Indians as among deaf-mutes that 

 the point of the finger is used to trace outlines and the palm of the hand 

 to describe surfaces. From an examination of the identical signs made for 

 the same object by Indians of the same tribe and band to each other, they 

 appear to make most gestures with little regard to the position of the fingers 

 and to vary in such arrangement from individual taste. Some of the elab- 

 orate descriptions, giving with great detail the attitude of the fingers of any 



