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The N.Z. Journal of Science and Technology. [Sept. 
index fingers except the string held by the thumb and index. The loops 
on the little fingers are still to be retained. 
6. Transfer to the thumbs the loops held by the index fingers and 
thumbs, spread the thumbs and little fingers, and draw the hands slowly 
apart. The loops of wahine now appear in the centre of the figure. 
(Fig. 21.) 
2. Tane. 
To convert wahine into tane :— 
1. It will be noted that in the figure, which should not be drawn closer 
than about 4 in. in diameter, a string passes direct from thumb to thumb, 
and another direct from little finger to little finger, around which the other 
strings loop to form the central figure. Lay the figure on the knee and 
carefully remove the thumbs and little fingers from their loops, the strings 
of which will now hang down. Place the right thumb in the angle formed 
by the outer curved string of the central figure and the string running 
straight across, and the right index in the opposite neighbouring and corre¬ 
sponding angle. Close the thumb and index, grasping between them the 
string at the bottom of the figure so that it holds the two crossed strings 
in a close loop. In the same manner, with the thumb and index of the 
Fig. 23 .— Tane . The completed figure. 
left hand in the corresponding angles, grasp the string at the top of the 
figure so that it too holds the two crossed strings in a close loop. (Fig. 22.) 
2 Turn the closed thumbs and index fingers upwards into the centre 
of the figure, so that all the strings except those of the hanging loops are 
outside the index fingers and thumbs. 
3. Spread the index fingers and thumbs and draw the strings taut. 
(A double string now runs round both index fingers and thumbs, and a 
large diamond lies in the centre, framed, as it were, by the double strings.) 
4. Close the index and thumb of each hand. Turn the fingers so closed 
down into the diamond, and extend the index fingers and thumbs again, 
pointing away from the body. (A single string now runs around both 
index fingers and thumbs, and a diamond with double sides appears in the 
centre. This central diamond is tane, and it should be kept narrow by 
holding the index and thumb of each hand fairly close together.) (Fig. 23.) 
Tane may again turn into wahine :— 
Insert the right thumb and index into the two angles at the bottom of 
the figure (after having laid it on the knee as in the former figure), the left 
thumb and index into the angles at the top of the figure, and proceed as 
in wahine, turning the closed index fingers and thumbs upwards into the 
double-sided diamond. Extend the strings, and the large single-sided 
diamond again appears. Close the thumbs and index fingers again, turn 
