406 NATURAL HISTORY. 



dred rears ago? "In shape and quantitie it is made like a Lisard, but 

 that it standeth higher and streighter than the Lisards do. upon his legges. 

 The sides, flankes, and bellie, meet togither, as in fishes : it hath likewise 

 sharpe prickles, bearing out upon the backe as they have : snouted it is, 

 for the bignesse not unlike to a swine, with a very long taile thin and 

 pointed at the encle, winding round and. entangled like to vipers: hooked 

 clawes it hath, and goeth slow as doth the tortoise : his bodie and skin is 

 rough and skalie, as the crocodiles : his eyes standing hollow within his 

 head, and those be exceeding greate, one neere unto the other with a verre 

 small portion betweene, of the same colour that the rest of the bodie is : 

 he is alwaies open eyed, and never closeth them : hee looketh about him 

 not by mooving the ball of his eye but by turning the whole bodie thereof : 

 hee gapeth evermore aloft into the aire, and is the onely creature alive 

 that feedeth neither of meat nor drinke, but hath his nourishment of aire 

 onely : about wild lig-trees hee is fell and daungerous, otherwise harme- 

 lesse. But his colour naturally is very straunge and wonclerfull, for ever 

 and anon he chaungeth it, as well as in his eye, as taile and whole bodie 

 besides : and looke what colour he toucheth next, the same always he 

 resembleth, unless it be red and white." 



Still, this picture is not over-accurate ; indeed, it makes sad lapses in 

 several respects. A glance at the plate will show the errors in some 

 respects ; others will be mentioned. One of the most striking features 

 will be found in the feet. In most lizards the toes are all distinct, but 

 here the foot forms what might be termed a pair of pipe-tongs. The toes 

 are united in bunches, two toes in one bunch, and three in the other. 

 Another peculiarity is seen in the strange eyes covered by the peculiar lids 

 with but a small opening for vision. Stranger still is a feature which the 

 plate does not show. The eyes are entirely independent; that of one side 

 can be turned in any direction without affecting the other. Further it is 

 said, even by good authority, that one side of the animal may be sound 

 asleep while the other is alert ; an actual realization of the familiar expres- 

 sion, asleep with one eye open. 



The peculiar structure of the feet renders these animals eminently 

 adapted to an arboreal life; for with them they can grasp a limb in the 

 firmest manner. They live, as might be supposed, in trees, wandering 

 about after food. The old author rwr<\ when he said that they fed solely 

 upon air. Air is too unsubstantial for them; they demand insects, and 

 are fully equipped for capturing them. As shown in the plate, the tongue 

 is highly extensile, and can be projected to an immense distance from the 

 body. Its tip is very sticky, and to it adheres any insect which may be 

 touched by it. With stealthy motion the chameleon creeps towards a 



