272 ZOOLOGY 



eyes), which is found in retired localities, from which it 

 comes out, especially in the evening, to capture earth- 

 worms and slugs. 



. The Chameleon famed in literature comes from Africa. 

 Its change of color depends upon the possession of several 

 layers of different color in the skin, which layers can be 

 separately expanded or contracted as required, as a result 

 of which some one color comes to predominate. It cap- 

 tures insects, a habit which is facilitated by its power of 



FIG. 254. Chameleo, the chameleon. From Leunis. 



protruding the tongue to over half the length of its body 

 and bringing the sticky end in contact with its prey. The 

 protrusions and retractions of the tongue are effected with 

 marvellous rapidity (Fig. 254). 



While in point of size the lizards of geologically recent 

 times are inconsiderable, those of former epochs were 

 huge. These former or fossil lizards were most charac- 

 teristic of the middle life era or the Mesozoic age. They 

 belong to three main groups; namely, swimming, walking 

 or wading, 1 and flying lizards. The swimming lizards were 



1 Fig. 254. 



