Argus Pheasant;

ARGUS (or Argos) in Greek mythology a many eyed giant, also called Panoptes. He was sent by the jealous Hera to watch over her husband Zeus's lover, Io after she had been changed into a heifer. While guarding Io, Argus was lulled to sleep and killed by Hermes. Hera rewarded Argus' loyalty by taking his eyes and placing them in the tail of her bird.

from Charles Darwins “The Decent of Man” 1871
"Nevertheless I know of no fact in natural history more wonderful than that the female Argus pheasant should appreciate the exquisite shading of the ball-and-socket ornaments and the elegant patterns on the wing-feathers of the male. He who thinks that the male was created as he now exists must admit that the great plumes, which prevent the wings from being used for flight, and which are displayed during courtship and at no other time in a manner quite peculiar to this one species, were given to him as an ornament."

Subspecies: There are two living subspecies, the Malaysian Great Argus (Argusianus argus) and the Bornean Great Argus (Argusianus grayi).
Argusianus bipunctatus is known only from a portion of a primary feather of uncertain origin. Believed to be extinct and was found on Tioman Island off the Malay Peninsula.

Description: One of the most unusual of all bird species, males are unmistakable with massive primary, secondary and tail feathers. The male Argus has some of the longest tail feathers of any bird in the world and can be as long as 3.5 feet. The face is blue, the crown is black with a distinctive short crest. The upperparts are brown, finely mottled with buff; iridescent ocelli can be found on the wings and tail. The wings can continue to grow until the bird reaches its sixth year.
A. grayi is slightly smaller than A.argus and can be distingiused by the burnt orange on the breast and neck and with more white spotting. Females are similar, but smaller than males; also lack the ornate tail and wings. Status in Wild: Listed as a CITES II, vulnerable species, the primary threat to survival is habitat destruction. Believed to be in good numbers on the Malay Peninsula and on Borneo, but the Sumatran population is in rapid decline.

Size Male, length= 6.5 ft, Wing span= 3.5 ft
Female, length= 2.5 ft Wing span= 3.5 ft

Argus in fly tying:
Since the fly tying use of Argus is more commonly known I will just make a brief comment about it here.
William Blacker 1817-1857
Blacker's salmon flies were some of the most original patterns ever tied and it is probably true to state that Blacker was largely responsible for the explosion of popularity of the "gaudy" salmon flies. Blacker used Argus in his Spirit fly #5 and in his Spring flies #1, #2, #3, and #5
Argus is also used in many traditional and freestyle flies today.

Bibliography and Further Reading
Delacour, J. 1977. The Pheasants of the World. 2nd ed., World Pheasant Association and Spur Publications, Hindhead, U.K.
Delacour, J. 1978. Pheasants: Their Care and Breeding. T.F.H. Publishing, Neptune, NJ.
Howman, K. 1991. Pheasants of the World: Their Breeding and Management. Hancock House Publishers, Surrey, B.C. Canada.
Johnsgard, P.A. 1999. The Pheasants of the World: Biology and Natural History. 2nd ed., Smithsonian Press, Washington D.C.
Madge, S., McGowan, P. 2002. Pheasants, Partridges, and Grouse. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.
Charles Darwin "the Decent of Man" 1871
The Encyclopedia Britannica
FlyFishingHistory.com
Thanks to John Wise for the header pic and for the photos of the Argus on display, Mating ritual, and wing detail.
Most of the pics on the side are clickable links, please check them out.