396 DAN BEARD'S ANIMAL BOOK 



THE HEAD SHOWED THE COLOR, 



commencing at the edges and gradually spreading 

 over each plate, the centers being the last points 

 to turn. If a number of these animals are placed 

 in alcohol they will be found to assume a dirty 

 yellow or brown tinge. This is probably the 

 natural hue of the skin with the coloring matter 

 removed. The pigments appear to be contained 

 in a network of vessels beneath the skin, and to be 

 somewhat, though not altogether, 



UNDER CONTROL OF THE ANIMAL. 



One, placed upon a bright crimson cloth, did as- 

 sume a reddish-yellow color, and though it did not 

 approach the brightness of the cloth, a casual ob- 

 server would hardly have noticed the lizard mo- 

 tionless upon it, but I doubt that the color of the 

 cloth affected the color of the anolis. 



Green is its favorite color, and black I never saw 

 but in one instance. When hiding in the Spanish 

 moss or upon a tree trunk it is often gray in color, 

 but this may be accidental; yellowish-red it as- 

 sumes with apparent effort. It sometimes was very 

 near the color of a cigar box. From tip of nose 

 to tip of tail it measures from five to six inches, 

 the tail being three-fifths of its total length. The 

 head is rather large, triangular in shape, apex at 

 the nose, and covered with small hexagonal plates 

 from the hose to just behind the eyes. The rest 



