NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Singular property of changing color. 



often be directed forwards,, while the other is 

 attending to some object behind, or in the same 

 manner upwards or downwards. 



The cameleon is a native of India, Africa, and 

 some of the warmer parts of Spain and Portugal. 

 It is principally celebrated for its singular pro- 

 perty of occasionally changing its color. Va- 

 rious writers have given various accounts of it. 

 Mr. Hasselquist says, that he never observed 

 the cameleon assume the color of an external 

 object presented to its view, although he made 

 several experiments for the purpose. Iks natural 

 color, he asserts, is an iron grey, or black, mixed 

 with a little grey. This it sometimes changes, 

 and becomes entirely of a brimstone yellow, 

 which, except the former, is the color it most 

 frequently assumes. It sometimes take a darker 

 or greenish yellow, and sometimes a lighter. He 

 did not observe it assume any other colors, such 

 as blue, red, purple, &c. When changing from 

 black to yellow, the soles of its feet, its head, 

 and the bag under its throat, were the first 

 tinged, and then by degrees that color spread 

 over the rest of the body. He several times saw 

 it marked with large spots of both colors all over 

 .its body, which gave it an elegant appearance. 

 When it became of an iron grey it dilated its 

 skin, and became plump and handsome ; but as 

 soon as it turned yellow, it contracted itself, and 

 appeared empty, lean, and ugly ; and the nearer 

 it approached in color to white, the more empty 



