582 



The Living Animals of the World 



of their amalgamation is precisely reversed. In either case these feet subserve, as in parrots 

 and other perching-birds, as most effective organs for maintaining a close grip upon the tree- 

 branches among which they habitually live. The tail of the chamoeleon is, finally, highly 

 prehensile, and, as with the New World monkeys, constitutes a veritable fifth hand, wherewith 

 to ensure it against falling off its perch. 



The colour-changing properties of the chamaeleon have been the subject of enthusiastic 

 but in many instances exaggerated descriptions from the earliest times. As a matter of fact 

 there are other lizard species which share this kaleidoscopic property to an equal or even 

 greater degree. The Indian tree-geckos, referred to on a previous page, as also the calotes 

 from the same region, are cases in point. Chamseleons are undoubtedly possessed of marvellous 

 colour-changing faculties, and it would appear to be scarcely in all instances, as is more 

 usually represented, a case of adapting themselves to the tints of their environment. The 

 assumption of leaf- green , grey, brown, reddish, or yellowish tints, in accordance with their 

 surroundings, is the ordinary record. Some examples which formed the subjects of the writer's 

 experiments exhibited, however, interesting deviations from the beaten track. Male individuals, 

 in particular, were observed to assume tints and decorative patterns that rendered them 

 remarkably conspicuous objects, in spite of their leafy environment. The normal ground- 

 colour of these specimens in 

 full daylight was so dark a 

 green that it might be almost 

 characterised as black. Upon 

 this were superimposed lines 

 and spottings of strongly con- 

 trasting tints. The more 

 dominant of these was a 

 brilliant orange, that was 

 distributed in bold lines 

 along the head and cheeks, 

 and formed a radiating pattern 

 on the skin-covered eye-cones. 

 The same colour formed some- 

 what broken-up bars across 

 all four limbs, and was dis- 

 persed in bold spots over the 

 entire remaining body-surface : 

 along the tail these spots were concentrated in threes, giving it a semi-barred appearance. 

 All among these orange limb- and body-spottings were distributed a secondary series of 

 somewhat smaller spots, the tint of which was a pale but very brilliant emerald-green. This 

 chamseleon asleep at night was a very different animal. The ground-colour was transformed 

 from almost black to a bright grass-green. The orange lines became lighter in colour and 

 broken up into patches ; many of the orange spots on the body disappeared, but those remaining 

 were of larger size and concentrated in threes in two lines along each side, these triple spots 

 enclosing centrally a larger elongated spot or patch of bright pink or puce. The bright 

 emerald-green secondary spots, as seen in daylight, were almost white. If handled during the 

 daytime, the chamseleon was wont to assume a colour nearly identical with his night garb ; 

 the two lines of pink patches, previously invisible, would appear, and, while the orange spotting 

 remained constant, the emerald- green changed to lemon-yellow. 



A chameleon in a rage is a decidedly grotesque object. The back is arched, the body 

 and more especially the throat-pouch are inflated to their fullest extent, the mouth is opened, 

 the eyes roll, and the creature rocks itself to and fro and hisses in a most threatening manner. 

 When, as often happens, it also simultaneously sits up on its haunches, the effect is doubtless 

 as terrifying as it is intended to be to a rival chamaeleon or any small animal which may 



Pkoto by W. Sav'Me-Kent, F.Z.S.1 [Milford-on-Sea. 



COMMON CHAMELEON OF SOUTH EUROPE AND NORTH AFRICA. 

 A minute or more is often occupied by the chamaeleon in making a single forward step. 



