Pagan races of the Malay Peninsula - Sabrizain.org

CHAP. IX SAKAl OF PERAK 477
male Argus pheasant (" kuang ") with its two long
tail-feathers covered with "eyes." The wheel-shaped
marks at A represent these "eyes," the disc-shaped
marks at B its wings. To the left of this bird is
portrayed a long, reddish -yellow millipede, its head
looking in the direction of the Argus's tail. The
dotted lines running parallel to the millipede on its
right and left represent the traces that it leaves
behind on the flesh of any person whom it attacks.
To the right of the Argus are shown two blue
scorpions in the act of approaching each other. The
object confronting each of their stings represents the
swelling that forms in the flesh of any person stung
by them. The female of this kind of scorpion is
considered more poisonous than the male, and is said
to produce double perforations when it stings.' Hence
the double row of dots at C denotes the effect of the
female's sting, the single row at D the sting of the male.
The original pattern was incised upon one of these
bamboo " tuang-tuang," and the interpretation given
to Vaughan- Stevens was that, "since the Argus
pheasant lives on scorpions and millipedes, its help
is summoned against them by striking this bamboo
upon the ground."
-
Fig". 9 (a copy like Fig. 8).'—The illustration
shows three rows of designs, separated by lines,
which ran completely round the original bamboo. The
man who copied this drawing for Vaughan -Stevens
took only a half-stem instead of the whole, because
it was easier to hold on the knee while the figures
were being incised with the chopper ("parang").
* This distinction, pcihaps, maybe ' Z.f.E. xxvi. 173. For more condue
to a tradition of the double-stinged ventionalised Argus patterns, v. Fasc.
scorpion. Mai. 17-26. •' Ibid. pp. 174, 175.