Ill S.KiSTEDTS K1UMAND.TARO-MKIIU EXl'EDITJON. 4. 



WERNER reports (1. c.) that this widely distributed chamseleon lias been found 

 between Mombasa and Kilimandjaro. 



(lil'iis LEACH. 

 Chamceleon dilepis LEACH. WERNER, Zool. Jahrb. Bel. 15 p. 338. 



5 specimens 6 /n 1905. - - 4 specimens V- 1905. - - 3 specimens Aug. 1905. - - 2 

 specimens July Aug. 1905. - 4 specimens May June 1906, Kibonoto, Kilimandjaro. 



Among the last mentioned ones were 2 females containing rather large eggs. 



Concerning this species Prof. SJOSTEDT has communicated the following notes 

 from his diary: On a leafy branch the poor being has chosen its place, its lower 

 side is pressed to the top surface of the branch anel the feet clasp, with their sharp 

 claws, the sides. The tail is stretched backward, its tip hanging free and rolled up 

 spirally. Quite immovable the animal sits there, not a particle of the contours of the 

 body changes, it looks as if cast in some metal. Only the eyes move, independently 

 of each other, scanning the surroundings, they roll now to this, now to the other side, 

 sometimes resting to scrutinize something more carefully. To agree with the sur- 

 roundings the animal has assumed a light green colour only showing along the flanks 

 a rusty reddish streak as a kind of lateral line*. As soon as it is touched, however, 

 it is suddenly changed as if touched with a wizards vand. The whole animal from snout 

 to tip of tail is covered with densely set dark spots of the size of hempseed. To 

 begin with they are shadowy but soon become so sharply confined that it looks as 

 if the animal had smallpox. The rusty reel lateral streak anel three scattered but 

 well defined spots on the neck, breast and inguinal region have assumed a pale violet 

 shade. Some little pronounced, dark clouels appear and disappear again. 



If the animal is left in peace the dark spots and weakly developed clouds as- 

 sume a dark green colour and become by and by lighter, first the clouds then the 

 small round spots till the animal has resumed its light grass green colour which it had 

 when first observed. (A female with 24 eggs, white, 24 y, 10 mm.) Not far from 

 this another chamseleon of the same size w r as seen but with larger occipital lobes 

 and a somewhat higher parietal crest. The whole animal is on light green ground 

 largely and sharply panther-spotted with blackish green irregular clouels, small 

 spots of the size of hemp-seed in the green areas between the large clouds. The 

 blackish green spots extend to the tip of the tail, forming along the tail and the 

 back a dozen more regular patches. Raeliating streaks on the liel from the opening 

 for the pupil give a peculiar appearance to the animal. It is thus quite different from 

 the other, anel has the warning colour of the gular folds, which it shows with a his- 

 sing sound, open mouth anel inflated throat, darker orange-yellow. After a while 

 it becomes like the other green as a leaf with spots, and the lateral streak light. When 

 touched the small spots began to appear as pale rusty reel changing to dark green. 

 In less than a quarter of a minute the panther spotted appearance was fully elevelopeel. 



But other colour changes may be seen as well. One morning, when the grass 

 green female with its rusty reddish lateral streak was touched, the body darkened 



