Argus

[In Fr., Lat., ., Argus; Gr. "Άργος ( Argos ), from ἀργός ( argos ) = shining, bright, because Argus's eyes were so.] 1. Cla . Myth. A son of A rest or, said to have had 100 eyes, of which only two slept at one time, the several pairs doing so in succe ion. When killed by Mercury, his eyes were put into the tail of the peacock, by direction of Juno, to whom this bird was sacred. Argus was deemed a highly appropriate name to give to a vigilant watch-dog. " Argus , the dog, his ancient master knew." Pope : Homer's Ody ey, bk. xvii. 344. 2. Zool: A genus of birds of the family Phasianidæ, and the sub-family Phasianinæ. It contains the Argus , or Argus Pheasant ( Ar gus giganteus). The male measures between five and six feet from the tip of the bill to the extremity of the tail, and is an eminently beautiful bird, the quill-festhers of the wings, which often exceed three eet in length, being ornamented all along by a series of ocellated spots. The Argus Pheasant inhabits the larger islands of the Eastern Archipelago. The name Shetland Argus is given to a starfish ( As trophy ton scutatum ). It is called also the Basket Urchin or Sea-basket. The arms branch again and again dichotomously, so that their ultimate fibres are supposed to be about 80,000 in number.