Notes.

A fifth form (e) of this “clock” story is “The Bacuit’s Case,” narrated by W. Vitug of Lubao, Pampanga. As I have this tale only in abstract, I give it here in that form:—

The bacuit (small, light gray bird which haunts marshes and ponds) went to the eagle-king and brought suit against the frog because the latter croaked all night, thus keeping the bacuit awake. The frog said he croaked for fear of the turtle, who always carried his house with him. The turtle, being summoned, explained that he carried his house with him for fear that the firefly would set it on fire. The firefly, in turn, showed that it was necessary for him to carry his lamp in order to find his food.

There is a striking agreement of incident in all these stories, as may be seen from the following abstracts of the versions.

  1. Version a (Pampango), “Trial among Animals.” Bird vs. frog; frog vs, turtle; turtle vs. firefly; firefly vs. mosquito.
  2. Version b (Pampango), “The Pugu’s Case.” Pugu vs. horse; horse vs. cock; cock vs. turtle; turtle vs. firefly, firefly vs. mosquito; mosquito vs. Juan.
  3. Version c (Visayan), “Why Mosquitoes Hum.” Crab vs. frogs; frogs vs. snail; snail vs. firefly; firefly vs. mosquito.
  4. Version d (Tagalog) “A Tyrant”. King’s officer vs. frog; frog vs. snail; snail vs. firefly; firefly vs. mosquito.
  5. Version e (Pampango), “The Bacuit’s Case.” Bacuit vs. frog; frog vs. turtle; turtle vs. firefly.

With the exception of the substitution of snail for turtle, and crab for bird, in the Tagalog and Visayan versions, four of these forms (a, c, d, e) are practically identical. Pampango e lacks the fourth link in the chain (firefly vs. mosquito). Pampango b adds one link (horse vs. cock), and substitutes cock for frog; the method of narration varies somewhat from the others, also. The punishment of the mosquito differs in a, c, and d. “The Trial among Animals” develops into a “just-so” story, and may be a connecting link between a Tinguian fable (Cole, No. 84) and two Borneo sayings (Evans, 447). In the Tinguian, a mosquito came to bite a man. The man said, “You are very little, and can do nothing to me.” The mosquito answered, “If you had no ears, I would eat you.” The Bajan (Borneo) saying is, “Mosquitoes do not make their buzzing unless they are near men’s ears; and then they say, ‘If these were not your ears, I would swallow you.’ ” The Dusun version (Borneo) is, “The mosquito says, ‘If these were not your horns, I would swallow you.’ ” The “killing fly on face” droll episode, which terminates the Tagalog version (d), we have already met with twice, Nos. [9] and [57] (q.v.). The link “firefly vs. mosquito” is found in the Visayan story “The Ape and the Firefly” (JAFL 20 : 314).

There can be no question but that this cycle is native to the Islands, and was not imported from the Occident. A Malayan story given by Skeat (Fables and Folk-Tales from an Eastern Forest, 9–12), “Who Killed the Otter’s Babies?” is clearly related to our tales, at least in idea and method:—

The mouse-deer (plandok) is charged with killing the otter’s babies by trampling them to death, but excuses himself by saying that he was frightened because the woodpecker sounded his war-gong. In the trial before King Solomon, the above facts come out, and the woodpecker is asked why he sounded the war-gong.

WOODPECKER. Because the great lizard was wearing his sword.

GREAT LIZARD. Because the tortoise had donned his coat of mail.