REPTILIA—CHAMELEON. G99 
THE CHAMELEON, 
Like the crocodile, this little animal proceeds from an egg; and it also nearly 
resembles that formidable creature in form. It is found in all the warm 
countries, both of the old and the new world. 
The head of a large chameleon is almost two inches long; and thence to 
the beginning of the tail, four and a half; the tail is five inches long, and 
the feet two and a half; the thickness of the body is different at different 
times; for sometimes, from the back to the belly it is two inches, and 
sometimes but one ; for it can blow itself up, and contract itself at pleasure. 
This swelling and contractionis not only of the back and belly, but of the 
legs and tail. 
The chameleon has the power of driving the air it breathes, over every 
part of the body; however, it only gets between the skin and the muscles; 
for the muscles themselves are never swollen. The skin is very cold to the 
touch ; and though tne animal seems so lean, there is no feeling the beating 
of the heart. The surface of the skin is unequal, and has a grain not unlike 
shagreen, but very soft, because each eminence is as smooth as if it were 
polished. The color of all these eminences, when the chameleon is at rest 
in a shadv place, is of a bluish gray ; and the space between is of a pale red 
aid yellow. 
But when the animal is removed into the sun, then comes the wonderful rs :t 
of its history. At first, it appears to suffer no change of color, its grayisa 
spots still continuing the same; but the whole surface soon seems to imlibe 
the rays of light; and the simple coloring of the body changes into a variety 
of beautiful ues. Wherever the light comes upon the body, it is of a tawny 
brown ; but that part of the skin on which the sun does not shine, changes 
1The genus Chameleon has the hody shagreened with small scaly granules, cempressed, 
and the back edged; tail round and prehensile ; five toes on all the feet, but divided ‘nto 
two sets, the one of three toes, the other of two, each united by a membrane to the nails; 
tongue fleshy. cylindrical, and extremely extensible; teeth tri-lohed; eyes laree but 
almost covered by skin, and with separate movements ; no external ear; occiput pyranudal ; 
lungs very large. 
