of the Tongue' of' the Chameleon. 165 



to shoot forth its tongue with a velocity equalHng that oK an 

 arrow shot from a bow * ; but mine, weakened by long con- 

 finement and want of food, had become incapable of such ac- 

 tivity — a circumstance favourable to my purposes — as by the 

 prolonged exposure of the tongue, which occupied about five 

 or six seconds, an opportunity was gained for making observa- 

 tions on its condition while protruded. I have several times 

 mechanically detained it in view, by placing the fly to be aimed 

 at in such a position on a flat surface, that the tongue might 

 strike it in a direction perpendicular to that surface, under 

 which circumstances its glutinous cupped extremity adhered 

 like a sucker, and held the organ exposed for nearly double 

 the ordinary period. Attempts at seizing insects similarly 

 placed on the side of the animal's case, which was made of 

 paper, gave it particular embarrassment, not so much from the 

 delay caused by the adhesion, as from the annoyance which the 

 down of the paper sticking to the mucus on the extremity of 

 its tongue seemed to produce. Indeed it appeared to dread 

 the inconvenience which resulted from striking at objects un- 

 der these circumstances, as it always endeavoured to take aim 

 in such a direction that the end of its tongue might escape a 

 little beyond them without danger of interruption. On one oc- 

 casion, when both animals attempted at the same moment to 

 catch a fly placed nearly midway between them, their tongues 

 struck against each other, and held them connected for a short 

 time. 



It has been observed by naturalists, that the chameleon re- 

 quires hours to accomplish the eating of a fly, but from having 

 seen each of those in my possession swallow six or eight within 

 the space of one hour, I can so far testify that the observation 

 is incoirect. 



To understand the motions of the chameleon's tongue, it is 

 necessary to possess a clear knowledge of all its parts ; I shall 

 therefore give, first, the anatomy of the os hyoides and muscles, 

 and, secondly, that of the moveable portion of the organ. 



The o8 hyoides is unconnected with the hirjiix. It consists of a body and 

 tour cornua, two of which are anterior, and tuo posterior (Plate IV. fig. 1.) 

 The body is prolonged towards into a process named the style (A), which is 



• See Belon— Observations, &c. liv. 2. ch. 34. 



