The question of manufacture introduces another form of bag (Plate 53, Fig 3), which I may call No. 6.  It is used by men for the purposes of No. 4, and No 5 is also sometimes made in the same way.  The method of manufacture of No. 6 is, I was told, an uncommon one; and, though I was able to procure one of these bags, I had not an opportunity of observing the process by which it was made.  The appearance of the bag, however, suggests a process not unlike that of knitting.  Its outer surface displays a series of thick, strong trie ord-plaited, vertical ridges, all close together, and looking very like the outside ridges of a knitted woollen stocking; but on the inner surface these ridges are not to be seen, and the general appearance of this inside is one of horizontal lines.  The material of this bag is much closer, thicker and heavier than is that of any of the others.

The colouring of Nos. 3, 4 and 5 is not put into the netting after its manufacture, as is done with bark cloth.  The string itself is dyed beforehand, and the lines of colour are worked into the bag in the process of netting.  The colouring is confined to the front of the bag only, being the part which is visible when the bag is worn hanging over the back or shoulder.  Speaking generally, the colouring is black; but there is often a little red introduced along with the black.  The pattern is in the general form of parallel horizontal lines or stripes, which, however, are in places made to recess or turn downwards or upwards at right angles, and subsequently turn upwards or downwards again, and then continue horizontally as before, thus giving variety to the mere design of straight horizontal lines; and these rectangular breaks are often introduced at more or less symmetrical intervals.  There are other details in these patterns, which can be observed in the plate.  I have one of these bags the lines in which are blue, red and yellow; but I think this colouring is not usual.  The pigments are obtained from the sources described above with reference to bark cloth.

The colouring of my specimen of No. 6 bag is also worked into the bag in the process of knitting, or whatever that process should be called.  But this colouring merely consists of four faint horizontal lines of pale reddish-brown; and I was told that these bags are generally uncoloured, or only slightly coloured in thin lines.

The mourning vests worn by chiefs’ widows are, I believe, made of Mafulu network; but unfortunately I did not see one of these, and so cannot describe them.

Art, Design, etc.