Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 17, 1906.djvu/102

90 entirely, and the mid-fingers replaced in their loops from above, this depending on the way the Cat's Cradle has been set up, and whether the radial or ulnar base string is held in the mouth. If the wrong move is made with the hands the loop runs out. Fig. 16 (see p. 89).

Some other of F. V. J.'s diagrams are interesting, but unfortunately not sufficiently explicit. They appear to indicate a cradle in which the palmar strings have been made by taking in the ulnar instead of the radial string of the loop, or else in which the right palmar string has been taken up by the left mid-finger first, together with a consequent variety of the following (first diamond) figure. If both the irregularities referred to are practised the second figure is unaltered. It would be well to know if either or both occur.



The sawing figure referred to above (happily remembered by Mrs. Farren) is made as follows:

First player holds up "Fish in the Dish." Second player takes hold of the radial middle string from under and draws it to the ulnar side, passing under the other strings. The first player now gets the ulnar middle string into his mouth, having pulled it also out from the under side of the figure. The first player now slips the thumb loops and extends with the indices, making the cross saw, the front saw running from his mouth to the second player's hand. Fig. 17.