2 1 8 ] Snakes and Frogs and Their Relatives 



frequently. It is this American lizard that is usually peddled at 

 amusement places. 



Most children are apt to overrate the chameleon's ability to 

 change color; they take the excessively simplified view that the 

 animal speedily alters to the color of whatever object it stands 

 upon. Chameleons do, to a great extent, harmonize with the 

 foliage on which they rest; but several other factors are involved. 



Light and temperature are important influences in changing the 

 animal's color and so are excitement and fright. Not only does 

 the tone of the body change, but strange patterns come and go on 

 the skin. How does this happen? To put it briefly: Beneath the 

 reptile's skin are a number of tiny branched cells containing 

 pigments of various colors. Whenever the chameleon contracts 

 or expands these branches, the position of the pigments is changed. 

 Those that travel to the surface of the skin are partly responsible 

 for the color the animal suggests. 



ALL-AROUND EYES AND A QUICK TONGUE 



The true chameleon has a versatility that can be positively 

 startling. It can roll one eye upward while the other rolls down 

 or turn one eye forward and the other backward! Its tongue is a 

 "secret weapon" that shoots forward to a distance of seven or 

 eight inches. On its sticky tip the chameleon snares insects that 

 apparently were well out of harm's way. 



How TO KEEP A CHAMELEON PET 



Old World chameleons rarely eat in captivity and seldom 

 live longer than five or six months when they are kept confined. 

 The so-called "American chameleon" is not so remarkable an 

 animal, but it does make a better pet. 



The American species should be kept in a warm sunny place 

 and fed crickets, cockroaches, or live flies. If it loses interest in 

 eating, you may revive its appetite by moving food slowly in 

 front of it. Your chameleon needs water; but do not put it in a 

 pan or cup in the cage. Instead, sprinkle the water about the cage 

 so that the little creature can lap up the drops just as it drinks 

 dew from leaves in its natural state. 



