Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

192 NATURAL RELIGION AND FOLK-LORE part iii
Birds.
But the most interesting of all the Semang myths
are those representing various birds as vehicles for
the introduction of the soul into the new-born child, a
full account of which will be found under Birth-
customs, The Argus-pheasant, on the other hand,
is connected by the Sakai with lunacy,^ the ground-
dove appears in one of the Semang creation-myths,
and finally there is the white cock into which the
soul of a deceased ancestor is believed by the jakun
to have migrated. But taking all references to birds
into consideration, it is certainly remarkable that so
little in the nature of divination by birds or augury
has yet been recorded of any tribes whatever in the
Malay Peninsula.
Legends and Ideas about Plants and Trees.
Among the Semang plant-legends is that of the
flowers that were planted by Pie to serve as models
for the designs of Disease patterns. Another is that
of the epiphyte, upon which the Diseases were laid by
the Winds who were carrying them. Yet another is
the Semang legend of the origin of the blowpipe
patterns explaining why some trees have smooth
and others prickly fruits, and why some fruits are
sweet and some are acid. To these may be added
the Mantra tradition of the period when one-half of
mankind were turned into trees by Tuhan Di-bawah,
and the Semang " birth-tree " and " name-tree," for
which see " Birth-customs."
In the legends of the Jakun we are told that the
' Z.f. E. xxvi. 169.