abao horn (Fig. 20). The needle
(No. 1) also serves as a shuttle, since it carries a considerable
amount of thread between the tongue and notch. The size of the loop
is determined by the width of the mesh stick or spreader (No. 2). The
operator generally sits on a rice winnower or squats on the ground with
a net suspended above him (Plate LXX). He forms the mesh by running
the needle over and around the spreader, and up and through the loop
above, thus forming a loop on the mesh stick. This is drawn tightly,
the needle is again passed through, but without encircling the stick,
and thus a knot is tied. This is repeated until a row of loops has
been completed, when another series is started.

_Manufacture of Pottery_.--In nearly every village there are two or
three women who make jars and dishes, but the potters of Abang and
Lakub are the only ones whose wares have a wide distribution.

The clay is dampened, and is carefully kneaded with the hands to remove
lumps and gravel, and to reduce it to the proper consistency. A handful
is taken from the mass, and is roughly modeled with the fingers to
form the base of the pot. This is set on a wooden plate which, in
turn, is placed in a rice winnower (Plate XXXVI). The plate takes
the place of a potter's wheel, for it is turned with the right hand
while with the left the woman shapes the clay, and smoothes it off
with a dampened cloth. From time to time, she rolls out a coil of clay
between the palms of her hands, lays it along the top of the vessel,
and works and pinches it in. Further shaping and thinning is done with
a wooden paddle and the dampened hand, and then the jar is allowed to
dry slightly. Before the drying has progressed far enough to render
the sides rigid, a smooth stone is placed inside, and the sides are
tapped gently with a paddle until properly thinned and shaped.

After allowing a couple of days for drying, the potter rubs the jar
inside and out with smooth stones or _lipi_ seeds, so as to give it
an even surface.

When several jars or dishes have been prepared, they are placed in
carabao dung or other slow burning material and fired. This generally
takes place at night, and the jars are left undisturbed until morning,
when they are ready for service. Occasionally resin is rubbed over a
jar while it is hot, thus giving it a glazed surface; this, however,
is not common, as the resin quickly melts off the cooking utensils,
while porous jars are preferred as