THE CHAMELEON. 91 



quiet. He stayed on the stick during two months. I then gave him a run out of doors, but 

 having left him a few minutes, he took advantage of my absence and levanted, after which I 

 saw him no more." 



The food of the Chameleon consists of insects, mostly flies, but, like many other reptiles, 

 the Chameleon is able to live for some months without taking food at all. This capacity for 

 fasting, together with the singular manner in which the reptile takes its prey, gave rise to the 

 absurd fable that the Chameleon lived only upon air. To judge by external appearance, there 

 never was an animal less fitted than the Chameleon for capturing the winged and active flies. 

 But when we come to examine its structure, we find that it is even better fitted for this purpose 

 than many of the more active insect-eating Lizards. 



The tongue is the instrument by which the fly is captured, being darted out with such 

 singular velocity that it is hardly perceptible, and a fly seems to leap into the mouth of 

 the reptile as if attracted by magnetism. This member is very muscular, and is furnished 

 at the tip with a kind of viscid secretion which causes the fly to adhere to it. A lady who 

 kept a Chameleon for some time, told me that her pet died, and when they came to examine 

 it, they found that its tongue had in some strange way got down its throat, an accident which 

 they took to be the cause of its death. Its mouth is well furnished with teeth, which are set 

 firmly into its jaw, and enable it to bruise the insects after getting them into its mouth by 

 means of the tongue. 



The eyes have a most singular appearance, and are worked quite independently of each 

 other, one rolling backwards while the other is directed forwards or upwards. In connection 

 with this subject some very curious and valuable remarks will be found on the next page. 

 There is not the least spark of expression in the eye of the Chameleon, which looks about 

 as intellectual as a green pea with a dot of ink upon it. 



Owing to the exceeding slowness of its movements, it has no way of escaping when once 

 discovered, and as a French writer well says, "un Cameleon apercu est un Cameleon perdu." 

 Great numbers of these creatures fall victims to enemies of every kind, and were it not that 

 their color assimilates so well with the foliage on which they dwell, and their movements are 

 so slow as to give no aid to the searching eye of their foes, the race would soon be extinct. 

 Th^ Chameleon has an odd habit of puffing out its body for some unexplained reason, and 

 inflating itself until it swells to nearly twice its usual size. In this curious state it will remain 

 for several hours, sometimes allowing itself to collapse a little, and then reinflating its skin 

 until it becomes as tense as a drum and looks as hollow as a balloon. 



The Chameleon is readily tamed, if such a word can be applied to the imperturbable non- 

 chalance with which it behaves under every change of circumstance. It can be handled 

 without danger, and although its teeth are strong, will not attempt to bite the hand that holds 

 it. It is, however, rather quarrelsome with its own kind, and the only excitement under 

 which it has been seen to labor is when it takes to fighting with a neighbor. Not that even 

 then it hurries itself particularly, or does much harm to its opponent, the combatants content- 

 ing themselves with knocking their tails together in a grave and systematic manner. 



A few words on the change of color will not be out of place. The usual color of the 

 Chameleon when in its wild state is green, from which it passes through the shades of violet, 

 blue and yellow, of which the green consists. In moderate climates, however, it rarely retains 

 the bright green hue, the color fading into yellowish -gray, or the kind of tint which is known 

 as feuille-mortc. One of the best and most philosophical disquisitions on this phenomenon is 

 that of Dr. Weissenbaum, published in the "Magazine of Natural History." The writer had 

 a living Chameleon for some time, and gives the result of his observations in the following 

 words : 



" The remote cause of the difference of color in the two lateral folds of the body, may be 

 distinctly referred to the manner in which the light acts upon the animal. The statement of 

 Murray that the side turned towards the light is always of a darker color, is perfectly true ; 

 this rule holds good with reference to the direct and diffused light of the sun and moon as to 



