162 SAURIA. 



FAMILY OF CnXMElMOK^—CHAMyELEONID^. 



Head larg-e, angular, covered with numerous very small, flattish or convex 

 shields ; body compressed, covered with granular scales above and below ; 

 tail long and prehensile. Tongue exceedingly long, worm-like, club-shaped 

 and viscous in front, very extensile. Eyes globular, very mobile, covered with 

 a circular lid which is pierced with a small central hole. Tympanum hidden. 

 Legs thin, each with five toes, formed into two grasping opposable groups. 



The proper native country of the Chameleons is Africa, which is inhabited by numerous 

 species ; they extend to the northern shores of the Mediterranean and into South-western Asia, 

 into Hindostan and Northern Ceylon. Theu- habits are so perfectly knoAvn, that it would 

 be almost superfluous to give a detailed account of them. They live on trees : each of their 

 feet is converted into a grasping hand, by means of which, assisted by a strong prehensile tail, 

 they hold so fast to the branch on which they are sitting that they can only Avith difficulty be 

 removed from it : on the ground and in water they are nearly helpless. Although extremely 

 slow in theu" locomotion, they feed on insects, which they catch by darting their long viscous 

 tongue at the prey, which remains attached to it. The inflexibility of the neck is com- 

 pensated by the wonderful structui'e of the eyes, which are so prominent that more than 

 one-half of the ball stands out of the head ; and not only can they be moved in any du'ection, 

 but each has an action independent of the other : one eye may be looking forwards, whilst 

 an object behind the animal is examined with the other. 



The faculty of changing colour possessed by the Chameleons, although common to nume- 

 rous other lizards, has become proverbial, and is so much developed that one side may assume 

 a colour diff'erent from that of the other. 



They are oviparous, depositing, under leaves, from ten to twelve oval eggs with calcareous 

 shells. 



The species have been left together in one genus : only one species is found in British India. 



Cham^leo vulgaris. The Common Chameleon. 



Lacerta chamseleo, L. Sijst. Nat. p. 364. 



Chamaeleo ceylanicus, Laur. Kept. p. 46. Jerdon, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xxii. p. 466. 



vulgaris^ Daud. Rept. iv. p. 181. 



A denticulated ridge along the back and belly ; occiput with a prominent longitudinal 

 crest, highest behind, and separated from the nape by a deep groove. Scales of the body 

 small, granular, of equal size. 



We can confirm the observation made by Mr. Jerdon, viz. that most of the Indian speci- 

 mens are of a green colour, uniform, or irregularly spotted and banded with dark green or 

 brown ; whilst in African specimens the ground-colour is greyish, olive, yellowish or brownish. 



