64 THE CHAMJELEdN, 



species, no matter oi : which sex, or when sur- 

 rounded and teased by a number of insects thrown 

 upon him, he then, almost in a moment, takes 

 alternately the three different tints of green. If he 

 is dying, particularly of hunger, the yellow is at 

 first predominant; but in the first stage of putre- 

 faction this changes to the colour of dead leaves. 



It seems that the causes of these different varie- 

 ties are several : and first, the blood of the Chamae- 

 leon is of a violet blue, which colour it will preserve 

 for some minutes on linen or paper, especially on 

 such as have been steeped in alum-water. In the 

 second place, the different tunicles of the vessels are 

 yellow, as well in their trunks as in their ramifica- 

 tions. The epidermis, or exterior skin, when sepa- 

 rated from the other, is transparent, without any 

 colour ; and the second skin is yellow, as well as 

 all the little vessels that touch it. Hence it is pro- 

 bable that the change of colour depends upon the 

 mixtures of blue and yellow, from which result 

 different shades of green. Thus, when the animal, 

 healthy, and well fed, is provoked, its blood is car- 

 ried in greater abundance from the heart towards 

 the extremities ; and, swelling the vessels that are 

 spread over the skin, its blue colour subsides the 

 yellow of the vessels, and produces a blue green 

 that is seen through the epidermis. When, on the 

 contrary, the animal is impoverished and deprived 

 of free air, the exterior vessels being more empty, 

 their colour prevails, and the animal becomes a 

 yellow-green till it recovers its liberty, is well nou- 

 rished, and without pain, when it regains the co- 



