20 



" Africa." The following extracts are from the folio 

 edition, published in 1670. Ogilby's work on Africa 

 is a compilation from at least forty different authors, 

 though he chiefly relies on Bellonius in his account of 

 Egypt. 



" Chameleon is a Greek word, and signifies < a little 

 lion.' Bellonius says, they frequent about Cairo, and 

 many other places, in the hedges and bushes : it bears 

 some little resemblance to the crocodile ; from which 

 it is different in colour, head, tongue, eyes, and feet : 

 it creeps not, but walks upon all-four ; the head long 

 and sharp, like a hog's ; the neck very short ; and eyes, 

 which, having no eyelid, can turn about on every 

 side. 



" This is a 'sluggish and dull animal, holding the 

 head carelessly, and the mouth always gaping, lolling 

 out the tongue, and so catching flies, grasshoppers, 

 caterpillars, palmer-worms, and such like ; instead of 

 teeth, having one entire jaw-bone, indented like a saw, 

 but useless, swallowing whole whatever food it takes ; 

 wanting both spleen and bladder ; muting like a hawk. 

 The back hath a hard and rough skin, beset with some 

 few prickles ; the two fore-feet, Bellonius saith, have 

 three claws inwards, and two outwards ; but the hinder 

 feet three outwards, and two inwards, with hooked 

 nails, or talons. It hath a strange and ridiculous 

 manner of gait, or movement ; for, stretching both feet 

 on each side at once together, and so alternately, the 

 other makes a shuffling gradation, one shoulder jetting 

 foremost, the other outstepping that, with a continual 

 untoward hank and loose, that it makes spectators 

 laugh, as if it were a match which side should come 

 first to the goal. But he is so nimble in running up 

 trees, that he seems rather to fly ; wherein he makes 

 great use of his tail to lay hold on boughs, especially 



