G. GENERAL NATURAL HISTORY AND ZOOLOGY. 353 



ancient Egyptians, in the pictures on the tombs, where flocks 

 of these animals are represented with others receiving the 

 attentions of the farmer and herdsman. From about 1800 

 years before the Christian era, however, these representations 

 were fewer and fewer in number, and after that time their 

 occurrence in relation to domestic animals seems to have 

 ceased. 



CHANGE OF COLOR IN THE CHAMELEON. 



M. Paul Bert has exhibited, at a meeting of the Biological 

 Society of Paris, a series of experiments on the coloration of 

 the chameleons, bearing especially upon the changes of color 

 produced if one or both eyes be extirpated. If a single eye 

 be removed, the animal does not exhibit any change of color 

 on the wounded side. If the light be brought to it, a very 

 slow change of color takes place, and subsequently in that of 

 the uninjured side. If both eyes be cut, a change of color on 

 the two sides occurs under the influence of fierce excitements. 



It has been previously ascertained by M. Bert that, on re- 

 moving the right hemisphere of the brain of the chameleon, 

 the animal only made use of the members of the left side, 

 and after taking away the left hemisphere, then it could use 

 the members of both sides. 



This phenomenon seemed to indicate that to the chameleon 

 is given in a measure a double l^eing that is to say, that the 

 voluntary movements seem to recognize two centres, corre- 

 sponding each to movement, coloration, and to sensations of 

 the analogous side. 8 B, September 14, 168. 



EXTINCT ANIMALS IN RODRIGUEZ. 



It is well known that Rodriguez, the Mauritius, and other 

 islands off the eastern coast of Africa, were at one time 

 inhabited by various species of birds now entirely extinct, 

 and known only by tradition, by the descriptions of several 

 travelers, and by the occurrence of their bones in different 

 localities. 



The island of Rodriguez seems to have been much favored 

 in this way, as mentioned by M. Leguat, who resided there 

 from 1691 to 1693, and described species in his works that 

 for a long time were supposed to be the figment of his own 

 imagination, but which are now well established by osteo- 



