394 DAN BEARD'S ANIMAL BOOK 



little creature I had wrapped up, a beautiful 

 emerald green lizard. It was only then that I dis- 

 covered my specimen to be the so-called American 

 chameleon. I was somewhat ashamed of my ig- 

 norance until I met a certain collector from Michi- 

 gan, who had gathered quite a number of what he 

 took to be distinct species of lizards, and had care- 

 fully preserved them in spirits, only to find upon 

 inspection, that they were all exactly alike in form 

 and color, all having assumed a yellowish-brown 

 tint after immersion in alcohol. Those that I kept 

 in captivity proved very gentle pets, and would run 

 over my hands waiting eagerly for me to catch 

 flies for them. Although quick in their movements, 

 and able by the help of their tail to spring quite 

 a distance, these little animals never could capture 

 the flies for themselves unless I first crippled the 

 insect by removing a wing. They loved the sun- 

 shine and fresh air, the latter they would swallow 

 occasionally in great gulps, expanding a sort of 

 pouch under their neck by the process. 



THOUGH GENTLE WHEN TREATED WITH 

 KINDNESS, 



when tormented they would fight, opening their 

 mouths in a ludicrous manner. After trying in 

 vain to bite a lead pencil, with which I had been 

 stroking its back and otherwise plaguing it, one 

 of them deliberately 



