Pelts 



howdah and kept a watch, rather a casual one 

 I am afraid, on the sea of grass down below in 

 front of me, and with more interest upon the 

 neighbouring tree trunks. 



What are lizards made of, I wonder ? The 

 temperature was anything over 180, and a 

 scorching hot wind was blowing. Yet two 

 lizards were playing hide-and-seek round the 

 trunk of a sal tree with as much keenness as if 

 the temperature was a grateful 60. These little 

 batrachians don't appear to sleep during the 

 daytime, and since the greater number of the more 

 tempting forms of insect life were taking a siesta 

 during the great heat of the day (save the flies 

 they never sleep, I believe and a few noxious, 

 gaudy species), the lizards had nothing to do but 

 to carry on in this foolish fashion, which made 

 one perspire to look at them. 



Some curious brilliant orange-red and green 

 tree-bugs also claimed attention. They were not 

 apparently inclined to keep up their circulation 

 after the fashion of the lizards, and yet they 

 appeared to feel the cold too, for they were huddled 

 up close together (like a flock of sheep packed 

 together for warmth in a snowstorm), portions 

 of each flat body overlapping those of others, 

 presumably to keep each other warm. I wonder 

 what temperature would lead these queer forms 

 of life to open out a button or two of their vests 

 and comfortably bask ! 



219 



