CHAMELEONS. 75 



from black to yellow, the soles of its feet, its 

 head, and the bag under its throat, were the 

 first tinged ; and then by degrees that colour 

 spread over the rest of the body. He several 

 times saw it marked with large spots of both 

 colours all over its body, which gave it an ele- 

 gant appearance. When it became of an iron- 

 grey it dilated its skin, and became plump and 

 handsome ; but as soon as it turned yellow, it 

 contracted itself, and appeared empty, lean, and 

 ugly ; and the nearer it approached in colour to 

 white, the more empty and ugly it appeared ; 

 but its shape was always the most unpleasant 

 when it was speckled. Mr. Hasselquist kept a 

 Chameleon for nearly a month. Diu:ing the 

 whole time it was very lively, climbing up and 

 down its cage, fond of being near the light ; and 

 constantly rolling about its large eyes. It took 

 no food during the whole of this time, so that 

 it became lean, and evidently suffered from hun- 

 ger. At length, through weakness, it fell from 

 its cage upon the floor, when a turtle that was in 

 the same room, bit it, and hastened its death. 



M. d'Obsonville's account differs somewhat from 

 the above, and he considers that he has discovered 

 the secret cause of the changes in the blood. 

 " The colour of the Chameleon," he observes, 

 " is naturally green ; but it is susceptible of 

 many shades, and particularly of three very dis- 

 tinct ones ; Saxon green, deep green, and a shade 

 bordering on blue and yellow green. ' When free, 

 in health, and at ease, it is of a beautiful green ; 

 some parts excepted, where the skin being thicker 

 and more rough, produces gradations of brown, 

 red, or light grey. When the animal is provoked 



