The deaf mute is sometimes taught in this manner, which is for him
an entirely natural manner. A left-handed child might be expected to count
in a left-to-right manner, beginning, probably, with the thumb of his right
hand.
To the law just given, that savages begin to count on the little finger of
the left hand, there have been a few exceptions noted; and it has been
observed that the method of progression on the second hand is by no means
as invariable as on the first. The Otomacs[11] of South America began their
count with the thumb, and to express the number 3 would use the thumb,
forefinger, and middle finger. The Maipures,[12] oddly enough, seem to have
begun, in some cases at least, with the forefinger; for they are reported
as expressing 3 by means of the fore, middle, and ring fingers. The
Andamans[13] begin with the little finger of either hand, tapping the nose
with each finger in succession. If they have but one to express, they use
the forefinger of either hand, pronouncing at the same time the proper
word. The Bahnars,[14] one of the native tribes of the interior of Cochin
China, exhibit no particular order in the sequence of fingers used, though
they employ their digits freely to assist them in counting. Among certain
of the negro tribes of South Africa[15] the little finger of the right hand
is used for 1, and their count proceeds from right to left. With them, 6 is
the thumb of the left hand, 7 the forefinger, and so on.
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