34 



one eye all these motions, while the other is per- 

 fectly still. Each foot has five toes, all of one size, 

 two behind and three before. He moves \'ery slowly, 

 on the ground, but on trees more easily. Its tail is 

 then its safety, as it twists it round the branches, 

 when in any danger of falling. 



But how can so slow a creature catch the most 

 nimble sorts of insects? What nature has denied it 

 in agility, is abundantly supplied by other means. 

 Its slow and easy motion renders it but little sus- 

 pected at a distance. And when it comes within a 

 proper space of its object, it stretches out its tail, 

 poises its body, and fixes itself* so as seldom to meet 

 with a disappointment. When all is ready, it un- 

 coils its long, slender tongue, and darts it so swift 

 as scarce ever to miss its prey. 



The common colour of the Cameleons in Smyrna 

 is green, toward the belly inclining to a yellow. But 

 those in the ruins of the castle are greyish, like the 

 stones among v/hich they breed. One of them having 

 been kept in a napkin, appeared whitish ; but it 

 never changed to red or blue, through wrapt in cloth 

 of those colours for several hours together. On 

 being handled or disturbed, it became stained with 

 dark spots, bordering on green. Sometimes from a 

 green all over, it became full of black spots ; some, 

 times when it appeared black, green spots suddenly 

 appeared. So far is it from being true, that it 

 changed its colour, according to every object near 

 it. Nor could we perceive this change to be any 

 fixed law, it rather seemed spontaneous. This only 

 was constant, being placed on green, it became 

 green, being on the earth ? it changed to the colour 

 of earth. 



Another uncommon creature of the lizard. kind, 

 is a Salamander, This is supposed to live in fire- 

 but without any ground. It is indeed generally found 

 in the chinks of glass-houses, or near furnaces, where 

 the heat is so great., that no other animal could en- 



