62 THE CHAMELEON. 



supposed the Lizard would have made them a prey, 

 could he but have driven the old bird from her 

 nest : He watched the contest for some time ; but, 

 on his near approach, the Lizard dropped to the 

 ground, and the bird flew off*. 



THE CHAMJELEONf- 



The Chameleon is a native of India, Africa, and 

 some of the warmer parts of Spain and Portugal. 

 The usual length of its body is about ten inches, 

 and that of the tail nearly the same. 



Though an animal extremely ugly and disgusting 

 in its appearance, it is perfectly harmless, feeding 

 only on insects, for which the structure of its 

 tongue is peculiarly adapted, being long and missile, 

 and furnished with a dilated, glutinous, and some- 

 what tubular tip. By means of this it seizes in- 

 sects with the greatest ease, darting it out, and 

 instantaneously retracting it, with the prey secured 

 on its tip, which it swallows whole. The skin is 

 covered with small warts or granulations, and down 

 the middle of the back it is serrated. The feet have 

 five toes united three and two, to enable it to lay 

 firmly hold of the branches of trees, in which it 

 principally resides ; and to this end also its tail is 

 prehensile, and is always coiled round the branch 

 till the animal has secured a firm footing. Its mo* 



* Edwards i. 3+. 

 + Lacerta Chameleon. Linn. Le Camekon, La Ceped-e,' 

 Shaw's Gen. Zool. <u»l. 3. tab. 76. 



