The Folk-Talcs of Ihe Khvai Papuans. 4'77 



THE BIRDS WHO HELD A DANCE IN AN ANTS'-NEST. 



444. On the trunks oi some coconut palms and other trees there are a kind of large 

 black ants'-nests which are called pi. Once a bird named küruru (vvhose name imitâtes the bird's 

 cry) invited the other birds to a great dance. He bored a hole in the pi, made a house in it 

 and brought ail kinds of food inside. The birds ail came and asked him, „Küruru, what place 

 you me (we) come dance?'' „You corne inside that house belong me hère," meaning the pi, for 

 he had made it as long and as large as a house. They al! went in and said to the küruru, 

 „What name (what) you me go sing now?" „Oh, by-and-by, you me kaikai first time,** said 

 the küruru, „by-and-by me sing." When they had ended their meal the kûruru sang, 



„Küruru kürurubüro kéte tiûpu kàiiia ui:abüro. — Küruru I make him dance now, turn 

 him feather belong tail any way." 



In the night a heavy rain feli, and the house which was very soft was washed away, 

 and the birds all flew about crying, „Where you me go? where you me go?" 



The küruru generally makes its nest inside the pi. If no rain falls for a time the pt 

 maj' become very large but a rainfall reduces it to quite a small size, leaving only a little lump 

 if any at all to hold the bird's nest. (Amüra, Mawåta). 



THE ANTS WHO CONQUERED ALL THE OTHER ANIMALS. 



445. Once the frog and ants quarrelled. „You no come close to me, I bite you," said 

 the frog. „Oh, you savy me," replied the ants, „my name that's ant, I go kill you now." The 

 frog spät at the ants covering them with saliva, and the latter had to struggle to get free. Then 

 they went for the frog and attacked it in the eyes saying, „You look," and they bit a hole in 

 the eyes. They summoned a great many ants to help them, killed the frog and ate all its flesh 

 so that only the bones remained. 



The lizard wanted to side with the frog and said, „Oh, ant, you no strong enough, you 

 kill frog, you no kill me." The lizard tried to trample the ants to death but the latter were 

 quicker and clung to his legs and in vain he tried to shake them off. They attacked him all 

 över his body, and the only thing the lizard could do was to wave his tail to and fro before 

 he died. Then the ants devoured all his flesh as they had done with the frog. 



Next the gûgudri (a wasp) intervened and said, „Oh, ant, you no strong enough ; I kill 

 you." The güguari made his way into the ants'-nest, but from there he never returned, for the 

 ants finished him. „I kill you fellow," the ants said. „Any kind meat I kaikai. That's all 

 proper man he pay back, kill me fellow." The ants fought all the other animais, and try as they 

 might none of their enemies could get the better of them. The snake came to look but could 

 do nothing. „You no got no hand (arms), you no can fight me, I fight you," said the ants. 

 „Pig, what name (why) you come look? I fight any kind thing." The époo („bush fowl") said, 

 „Oh, that man he no strong, I go break him house belong him." Whereupon it perched on an 

 ant-hill and began to scratch at it with all its might, but the ants caught hold of its feathers, and 

 one of them ran and bit the bird in the eye. The fowl shook itself violently, flew up and cried 

 N:o 1. 



