148 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



AFRICAN CHAMELEON. 



Noted for its remarkable color changes. 



These experiments were several times repeated, and with the 

 same results. Thus we may presume that light and temperature 

 are among the factors conducive in altering a reptile's hues. 



The next test was in the direction of ascertaining whether or 

 not the lizards are sensitive to the colors of objects over which 

 they move. The specimens were separated and placed in several 

 cases, all with a corresponding degree of illumination. In one 

 case was a branch of green leaves, in another a number of dark, 

 leafless twigs, and in the third, fine white sand had been spread. 

 In these quarters they were left for an hour. The results 

 were decidedly negative. All of the lizards took on a shade of yel- 

 lowish brown, causing each individual to differ quite materially 

 from its surroundings. Repeated experiments in this line tended 

 to prove that the colors of a reptile's surroundings have little to do 

 with its own eccentric variations. 



Fright or excitement produces a marked effect upon these 

 creatures, the majority of which acquire lighter shades. When 

 enervated through lack of nourishment (and these reptiles show 

 a great reluctance to feeding in captivity), the body becomes 

 irregularly splashed with pale colors. Traces of green will show 

 on a gray body ground, and immediately after death patches of 

 black appear. A peculiar instance of the effect of sunlight and 

 shadow was observed upon a specimen that was basking under 

 a wire grating of coarse mesh. Becoming frightened at the ap- 

 proach of the writer, the lizard changed its position. Its dark 



