THE LIZARDS 189 



branches of a tree or a bush it is a veritable acrobat, 

 gasping branch after branch with its bifurcated feet, 

 progressing in a nonchalant, slow fashion. When the 

 lizard desires to steady itself, the prehensile tail grasps 

 a twig firmly. While in this position the animal rolls 

 its swivel eyes in all directions, squinting fixedly at any 

 object that may seem in the least suspicious or interest- 

 ing. The feeding affords a much exaggerated example 

 of the way in which many of the sticky -tongued lizards 

 obtain their insect prey. Grasshoppers, crickets and 

 spiders are the favorite food. Approaching an insect 

 with an air of perfect deliberation a chameleon regards 

 it calmly for a second or two with one bulging eye, 

 while the other may indifferently examine various ob- 

 jects. A sudden flash of the tongue follows to a pos- 

 sible distance of six or seven inches and the morsel is 

 snapped back to the jaws, where it is well masticated 

 by sharp teeth before it is swallowed. 



Captive chameleons are not hardy. Few live longer 

 than five or six months. They drink whenever the 

 plants in the cage are watered, showing the necessity 

 of this liquid nourishment. The feeding of captive spec- 

 imens is often half-hearted and some fast with exasper- 

 ating persistence. Some of the writer's specimens have 

 become so thin they not only sounded quite hollow when 

 their rough skin was rubbed by the fingers, but were 

 actually translucent when held to the light. While 

 these refused all food, they drank regularly. An occa- 

 sional specimen feeds regularly, but it is one of fifty. 



Many lacertilians have excited popular interest owing 

 to their color changes. We have already noted these 

 habits among the members of the Iguanidce and the 

 Agamidce. Marked changes of color appear principally 

 among species with a granular scalation. There are, 



