S66 MR. A. LOVERIDGE : T\'OTES ON 



both clinging to the gauze of the cage. The fem.ale gently biting 

 the male on cheek, the male responded by raising his occipital 

 ilaps, inliating throat enormously, showing skin between scales. 

 She then followed suit. 



Kilosa, 29. i. 21. During the past ten days the female has been 

 following the male about and sometimes vice versa. Pairing has 

 doubtless taken place, though t have not witnessed it until to-day, 

 when the female was again lying on her back in the grass. 



Kilosa, l.ii. 21. The female was apparently dying, and so 1 

 gave chloroform. Subsequent post-mortem showed that the 

 stomach contained plenty of fresh insect remains, but the intes- 

 tines were choked with a very hard lump of matter, which on 

 being broken up was found to be mainly composed of chitinous 

 parts of insects. 



Kilosa, 22. V. 21. One of my chameleons on a branch in the 

 window dropped an egg on the floor between 2 and 2.20 p.m. 

 This egg measured 12x1) mm. and, being soft, did not bi'eak. 



Kilosa, 25.V. 21. The chameleon mentioned in my last note 

 died egg-bound, there being plenty of fresh food in stomach. 

 There were 46 eggs in the ovary measuring 14x9 mm. 



Kilosa, iv.-6. v. 22. No less than three captive chameleons died 

 when full of eggs, the highest number being 64. Why they 

 refuse to lay in captivity when provided with a bush and soil 

 I do not know. 



I found a young chameleon (45-1-44) on a bush ;at Tindiga, 

 14.ii.21. 



Two Ikikuyu males were found to have been feeding on ter- 

 mites. A chameleon was found hanging by one hind-foot from 

 «, branch as if dead. It had disgorged three grasshoppers, one of 

 which was still kicking feebly, together with a lot of blood and 

 mucus. It would appear that the chameleon had greedily 

 swallowed his prey without crunching it, and had been killed by 

 the grasshopper kicking and injuring the stomach with its spiny 

 legs. However, on taking up the apparently defunct reptile, it 

 walked oft' in a dignified manner and ascended its branch. 



Mr. Crowtlier, to whom I sent six of these chameleons, writes 

 me that they were not very keen on beetles and flies, but would 

 run for woodlice, ^ve^■e very fond of slugs but not much of snails, 

 whilst mealworms they despised. Their attitude towards Hies 

 may be due to the fact that they were forcibly fed on these 

 <luring the voyage home. 



As already related elsewhere, chameleons have a vexy real 

 enemy in siaf u, which ascend the bushes at night. The chameleon, 

 awakened by the biting little fiends, throws itself from the branch 

 in an effort to escape, when it is set upon by the driver-ants below, 

 which do not leave it till all tlie flesh is picked oft' its bones. 

 I lost quite a number in the garden in this way. 



It is most extraordinary to what extent a chameleon can hold 

 on when it so desires. One was released on tlio balcony, and it 

 .sought freedom by departing on the telephone wire. I saw it 



