Till: rn \MBLBON. 01 



qm.-t. II.- -t;i\.-l ,.M ill,- stick during two months. I ih.-n irivc liitn a run out of door-. 

 ha\ ini; I. It him a f.-u minutes, he took advantage of my absence and levanted, after which 1 

 saw him no mop-." 



The food of the Chameleon consist* of insects, mostly flies, Imt, like many other reptile*, 

 the Chameleon is :il'].- to live for some months without taking food at all. This capaciu for 

 fastim:, : "- ' ' with (In <iin u : in on : bi uttd) the n ptik tehM Hi pMJi |BN (! '" "I"- 

 absurd fal<].. that the Chameleon lived only uimn air. To judge by external appearance. (here 

 never was an animal less fitted than the Cham. I. -on for capturing the winged and active Hies. 

 Hut when . come to examine its structure, \\e find that it is even letter fitted for tills purpose 

 than many of the more active insect -atin^ Lizai 



Tin- tonsil.- is tin- instrument '> which the fly is captured, being darted ont with such 

 singular velocity tliat it is hardly perceptible, and a fly seems to leap into the mouth of 

 tin- reptile as if attracted by magnetism. This memlwr is very muscular, and is furnished 

 at tlie tip with a kin<l of viscid .secretion which causes tlie lly M ad'icre to it. A lady who 

 kept a Chameleon for some time, told me that her \-\. died, and when they came to examine 

 it. they found that its tongue had in some strange way got down its throat, an accident which 

 they took to be the cause of ita death. Its mouth is well furnished with t^th. which are set 

 firmly into its jaw, and enable it to bruise the insects after getting them into it* mouth by 

 means of the tongue. 



The eyes have a most singular appearance, and are worked quite independently of each 

 other, one rolling backwards while the other is directed forwards or upwards. In connection 

 with this subject some very curious and volnable remarks will le found on the next pap-. 

 There is not the least spark of expression in the eye of the Chameleon, \\hidi hn.ks about 

 as intellectual as a green pea with a dot of ink upon it. 



Owing to the exceeding slowness of its movements, it lias no way of escaping when once 

 discovered, and as a French writer well says, "un Cameleon apercn est un Cameleon perdu." 

 Great numbers of these creatures fall victims to enemies of every kind, and were it not that 

 their color assimilates so well with the foliage on which they dwell, and their movements are 

 so slow as to give no aid to the searching eye of their foes, the race would soon be extinct 

 The Chameleon lias an odd habit of puffing out its body for some unexplained reason, and 

 inflating itself until it swells to nearly twice its usual si/e. In this curious state it will remain 

 for several hours, sometimes allowing itself to collapse a little, and then [.'inflating its skin 

 until it becomes as tense as a drum and looks as hollow as a balloon. 



The Chameleon is readily tamed, if such a word can be applied to the inij>erturl>able non- 

 chalance with which it behaves under every change of circumstance. It can be handled 

 without danger, and although its teeth are strong, will not attempt to bite the hand that holds 

 it. It is, however, rather quarrelsome with itd own kind, and the only excit.in.nt under 

 which it has been seen to labor is when it takes to fighting with a neighltor. Not that even 

 then it hurries itself particularly, or does much harm to its opponent the comlatants content- 

 ing themselves with knocking their tails together in a grave and systematic manner. 



A few words on the change of color will not be out of place. The usual color of the 

 Chameleon when in its wild state is green, from which it passes through the shades of violet, 

 blue and yellow, of which the green consists. In moderate climates, however, it rarely retains 

 the bright green hue, the color fading into yellowish-gray, or the kind of tint which is known 

 as feutilt-martt. One of the best and most philosophical disquisitions on this phenomenon is 

 that of Dr. Weissenbaum. published in the "Magazine of Natural History." The writer had 

 a living Chameleon for some time, and gives the result of his observations in the follow in- 

 words: 



"The remote cause of th- difference of color in the two lateral folds of the body, may be 

 distinctly referred to the manner in which the light acts upon the animal. The statement of 

 Murray that the side turned towards the light is always of a darker color, is )--rf.-. il y trae ; 

 this nile holds good with reference to the direct and diffused li^ht of the sun and moon as to 



