Argus

Argus, surnamed the "All-seeing," was a fabulous creature in Greek mythology with a hundred eyes, of which one half was always awake. The monster was appointed by Hera to watch over Io, but Hermes killed him after lulling him to sleep by the sound of his flute, whereupon Hera transferred his eyes to the tail of the peacock, her favourite bird.

Argus was also the dog of Ulysses, immortalised by Homer in his work. He was the only creature that recognised Ulysses under his rags on his return to Ithaca after twenty years' absence, under such excitement, however, that immediately after he dropped down dead.

The word came to be used later for an alert, or a watchful guardian.

There is also a pheasant of this name. Argus pheasant is long-tailed, generally with brown plumage. It is found mainly in Southeast Asia and Indonesia. It belongs to the family Phasianidae. Two species in the family are found - the great argus (Argusianus argus), and the crested argus (Rheinartia ocellata). The male great argus has lengthened secondary wing feathers bearing eyespots which is spread by the bird during display. The crested argus has the longest tail feathers among birds.

Argus is also a name of butterfly. It is small in size, brown or bluish in colour. It is native to Eurasia. Eyelike markings are found near its wing margins. It belongs to the family Lycaenidae, and the genus Aricia. There are other genera too.

There are also argus fish living both in fresh and salt water widely spread throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific region. It is a silvery deep-bodied fish with round spots. Its zoological name is Scatophagus argus, and belongs to the family Scatophagidae.