SOUTH AFRICAN CHAMELEONS, ETC. 47 



noticeable differ ence. Then put on a twig of a shrub with bright green 

 leaves it became paler. The side aioay from the sun was o£ the brightest 

 apple-green, the outer side (towards the sun) was darker along the hack. The 

 bright green harmonized wonderfully with the young leaves, the creature 

 appeared flat, and was scarcely distinguishable. The neck and belly did not 

 appear io change colour. 



It was then killed, being rapidly overcome by chloroform, then becoming 

 more dusky than seen previously : that is to say, it assumed its darkest 

 coloration. If the result in the first case was paralytic in its nature, it would 

 appear in the second case to have been stimulant ; or vice versa. 



4. By Professor E. B. Poulton. 



Three specimens of Chamceleon pumilus, two large and one small, were 

 kindly given to me by a keen naturalist friend, Miss Molly Jenkins, the 

 daughter of my kind host. Rev. Canon Jenkins, D.D., Principal of the Diocesan 

 College, Rondebosch. The small individual soon died, and one of the others 

 did not live long. The third was a very healthy specimen, and upon it the 

 following notes were made. The behaviour of C. pumilus afforded the 

 strongest contrast to that of C. dilepis, for, with few exceptions, it accepted 

 food whenever offered. The exceptions are of considerable interest. On one 

 occasion it was offered the spinous reddish caterpillar of an Acrcea, which it 

 made heroic efforts to eat, but finally rejected. At another time a hard 

 rough brown weevil (almost certainly Spartecerus rudis, Fahr.) was seized 

 and instantly abandoned. When it is remembered that both Acrseas and 

 weevils are mimicked by species belonging to other and very different groups, 

 the behaviour of the chamseleon is seen to be highly significant. It would 

 be deeply interesting to experiment further and attempt to ascertain whether 

 the weevil was rejected because of the instant recognition of its excessive 

 hardness *, or on account of some other special protection. C. pumilus 

 devoured the cockroaches on the ship^ but was not nearly so fond of them as 

 its larger relative. Flies appeared to be its favourite food. This specimen 

 was also deposited in the Zoological Gardens, where it lived for some 

 weeks longer than dilepis. It died about New Year's Eve. 



Good fortune gave me as companions in the same compartment of the 

 train two physicist friends. Captain Creak, F.R.S., and Professor C. V. Boys, 

 F.R.S. One day, when C. pumilus was resting on the compartment table, 

 with the long axis of its body parallel to the window. Professor Boys, who 

 was certainly intended for a naturalist, pointed out that the strongly illumi- 

 nated side, next to the window, was dark green, while the side in deep shadow, 

 away from the light, was of the brightest tint. The same relationship between 

 the illuminated and the unilluminated side was seen on many occasions. 



* See Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond. 1902, pp. 322-25. 



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