EDITOR'S TABLE. 



3 6 3 



logical interest, and very surprising results 

 may be obtained by a careful study of all 

 the conditions, and an ingenious complica- 

 tion of the experiments. 



Thus it is quite easy to have half a doz- 

 en or more persons engaged in perform- 

 ing parts of an experiment, each oue being 

 ignorant of what the other has done. The 

 mind-reader then ravels out the thread by 

 beginning at the end and working backward, 

 or vice verm. The rapidity with which the 

 experiments may be performed is remark- 

 able, sometimes occupying less time than is 

 required to arrange them. 



The chief points, then, for the beginner 

 to observe are : 



1. Impress upon your "subject" the 

 necessity of fixing his mind on the object 

 and its locality. 



2. Concentrate your attention on every 

 movement of the subject. 



3. Never hazard a guess. 



Hoping that these few directions will 

 enable others interested in this entertaining 

 and scientific trick to repeat the experi- 

 ments successfully, and referring the reader 

 to my previous letter for an explanation of 

 the performances without physical contact, 

 I am, yours, very truly, 



Alexander E. Outerbridgie, Jr, 

 Philadelphia, November 26, 1STT. 



"FLORIDA LIZARDS." 



To the Editor of the Popular Science Monthly. 



Dear Sir : In corroboration of Mr. Gill- 

 man's statements regarding the change of 

 color or " chameleonization " of the Florida 

 lizard (the species of which I presume to be 

 Anolis principalis), and which is noticed in 

 the December number of The Popular Sci- 

 ence Monthly, permit me to say that, in 

 1871, while in North Carolina, I had a num- 

 ber of these lizards in captivity for the pur- 

 pose of studying and observing their hab- 

 its, and in lST^ published in the Hod and 



Gun a short paper as the results of my ob- 

 servations, which fully confirm those made 

 by Mr. Gillman, as the following extract 

 will show : " . . . TJhe first peculiarity no- 

 ticed about them was their change of col- 

 or; before retiring for the night a sheet of 

 paper was thrown over the box, and re- 

 moved the next morning. To my amaze- 

 ment my pets, that had been a vivid green 

 color the day before, were now of a dirty- 

 brown tint, and extremely sluggish in their 

 movements ; but, to my great delight, so 

 soon as the rays of the sun fell upon them, 

 the green returned, and they became as 

 lively as ever. This change of color is 

 very curious and peculiar, taking place un- 

 der a variety of circumstances. For in- 

 stance, after burrowing i. the sods (with 

 which their box was lined) on their return 

 to the light they would at first be brown, 

 but recovered their normal tints shortly 

 afterward. When asleep the green color 

 would frequently be replaced by brown, and, 

 still more curious, if during the day the 

 sun for any length of time was obscured by 

 clouds, the same effect was produced. The 

 manner in which the green tint replaced the 

 brown was very interesting. In some in- 

 stances a little patch of green would ap- 

 pear on the end of the snout, others would 

 appear in different portions of the body ; 

 these would extend and gradually coalesce 

 until the whole body had resumed its usual 

 tint." During the procreative act, there was 

 an ever-varying change of color from the 

 most vivid green to dull, dusky brown. 



During 



and while feeding, these 



changes were very noticeable. I have never 

 seen the colors change so rapidly as Mr. 

 Gillman states, but this may be due to the 

 fact that his observations were made upon 

 individuals free and unrestrained of their 

 personal liberty, mine upon captives. 

 Respectfully yours, 



H. C. Yarrow. 



Smithsonian Institction, Washington, D. C, > 

 November 20, 18T7. J 



EDITOR'S TABLE. 



THE DOCTORING OF DARWIN. 



THE University of Cambridge, with 

 much eclat, recently conferred the 

 degree of L L. D. upon Mr. Charles 

 Darwin. This circumstance has elicit- 

 ed much diversity of comment on the 

 part of the press. Some maintain that 

 the conferring of this honor is to be con- 

 strued as a virtual indorsement of the 

 doctrines that are associated with the 



name of this eminent naturalist ; and 

 they regard the action of the univer- 

 sity as a triumph of the advanced bio- 

 logical school over the clerical and con- 

 servative party by which the universi- 

 ty has been hitherto dominated. Oth- 

 ers maintain that the proceeding is sus- 

 ceptible of no such interpretation, but 

 that the degree was awarded simply in 

 recognition of the important services of 



