Some Figv/rea in String. 151 



7th. Slip the lower thumb loops ( ver to the palmar side. There is now a 

 small triangle formed near (.^ch thumb by a string which comes from 

 between the little and ring fingers, round the thumb loop and then 

 to the opposite hand. 



8th. Place the index fingers into these triangles and continue the move- 

 ment of the hands turning them towards the bo ty and down. At 

 the same time release the little finger loops. Stretch the thumbs 

 well out so as to form a broad pattern as seen in Fig. 14. It is very 

 easy to spoil the pattern by neglect of this precaution and no amount 

 of re-adjusting will improve a badly made one. The large diamonds 

 on the pattern represent the scales of the fish. 



Pretku (Toad.) 



The pattern shown in Fig. 15 is quite different from the one which 

 Dr. Lutz obtained at Kaieteur from Patamona Indians who live just forty 

 miles from Pua. the village that my boy came from. The two patterns 

 are similar in general outline but that is the only resemblance. In this 

 one the head of the toad is towards the left while that of Dr. Lutz has the 

 head in the other direction. The figure described by Dr. Lutz is 

 extremely difficult to do from his description and, indeed on the only 

 occasion that I succeeded in working it out, I am not at all sure that I 

 followed his description exactly. If he describes the manipulation 

 correctly, one can only say that he is very obscure ; but I really think that 

 he has made some mistake. In any case the manipulation in the two 

 figures is totally different. 



1st. Place the left wrist only in the loop. Pass the near string between 

 the middle and index fingers and back between the index and thumb. 

 Simultaneously with this movement, pass the far string between 

 the middle and index and back between the middle and ring fingers. 



2nd. Pass the far middle string between the thumb and index and back 

 round the thumb. At the same time, pass the near index string- 

 between the ring and little fiDgers and b ick round the little finger. 



3rd. Take upon the backs of the right index and middle tinges the two 

 palmar loops just formed. Stretch. 



4th, Bring the left wrist loop on to the palmar side. 



•5th. Transfer the right index and middle loops on to the left index and 

 middle fingers. Bring the lower left index and middle loops on to 

 the palmar side. Transfer the left index and middle loops to the 

 right index and middle fingers. Stretch. 



One cannot say how many of these string figures the Indians have, 

 but the selection given above is only a very small portion of what we 

 have in this colony of ours. All the figures described were obtained from 

 Makushis and no attention was paid to the tricks of other tribes whether 

 they resembled those of the Makushis or not. Reference has beeu mado 



