THE CHAMELEON. 91 



THE last example of tin: A^ainidit which can he figured in these pages is the most 

 ferocious-looking of the whole family, and were its dimensions much enlarged, would 

 be universally allowed to he the most terrible-looking creature on the face of the earth. 

 Many reptiles are spiny in different parts of their bodies, but this creature, appropri- 

 ately termed the MOLOCH, bristles like a hedgehog with sharp spikes, which project 

 both above and below in such profusion, that this Li/ard almost seems to have been 

 formed for the purpose of testing the number of effective spikes that can be planted on 

 a given space. The creature is all spikes, and thorns, and projections. Upon the top 

 of the head two very large spikes are seen, projecting from each eyebrow, and on the 

 back of the neck is a large rounded protuberance, covered with little spiny scales, and 

 having one long projecting spine on each side. On the back, the arrangement is very 

 curious. A number of long spines are scattered at intervals over the surface, each of 

 which is surrounded by a circle of lesser spines. Jt is worthy of notice that these 

 large spines are hollow, and fit upon protuberances of the skin much in the same way 

 that a cow's horn is sheathed on its core. The whole head and limbs are covered with 

 spines similar in formation, but smaller in size. The tail is covered with long, sharp, 

 spiny scales, arranged in whorls, and boldly radiating from their centre ; and even the 

 toes are covered as far as the long-sharp claws, with boldly keeled scales. The gen- 

 eral color of this reptile is palish yellow, spotted regularly with brown above and below, 

 with dark red blotches edged with black. The Moloch is a native of Australia. 



THE last tribe of the Lizards contains but one genus and very few species. From 

 their habit of constantly living on trees, these creatures are called DENDROSAURA, or 

 TREE LIZARDS. In these, the scales of the whole body are small and granular, and 

 arranged in circular bands. The tongue is very curious, being cylindrical and greatly 

 extensile, reminding the observer of a common earthworm, and swollen at the tip. 

 The eyes are as peculiar as the tongue, being very large, globular, and projecting, and 

 the ball is closely covered with a circular lid, through which a little round hole is 

 pierced, much like the wooden snow-spectacles of the Esquimaux. The body is rather 

 compressed, the ears are concealed under the skin, and the toes are separated into two 

 opposable groups, so that the creature can hold very firmly upon the boughs. All the 

 Dendrosaura are inhabitants of the Old World. The tail is very long and prehensile, 

 and is most invariably seen coiled round the bough on which the reptile is standing. 



The most familiar example of the Dendrosaura is the common CHAMELEON, a reptile 

 which is found both in Africa and Asia. 



This singular reptile has long been famous for its power of changing color, a prop- 

 erty, however, which has been greatly exaggerated, as will be presently seen. Nearly 

 all the Lizards are constitutionally torpid, though some of them are gifted with great 

 rapidity of movement during certain seasons of the year. The Chameleon, however, 

 carries this sluggishness to an extreme, its only change being from total immobility to 

 the slightest imaginable degree of activity. No one ever saw a Chameleon even walk, 

 as we understand that word, while running is a feat that no Chameleon ever dreamed 

 of. 



When it moves along the branch upon which it is clinging, the reptile first raises one 

 foot very slowly indeed, and will sometimes remain foot in air for a considerable 

 time, as if it had gone to sleep in the interim. It then puts the foot as slowly forward, 

 and takes a good grasp of the branch. Having satisfied itself that it is firmly secured, 

 it leisurely unwinds its tail, which has been tightly twisted round the branch, shifts it a 

 little forward, coils it round again, and then rests for a while. With the same elaborate 

 precaution, each foot is successively lifted and advanced, so that the forward movements 

 seem but little faster than the hour-hand of a watch. 



The extreme slowness and general habits of this animal are well depicted in an 

 account of a tame Chameleon, kindly presented to me by Captain Drayson, R.A. 



