fish that he observed, which from his de- on all others in the lakes and rivers, and 



scription was undoubtedly a Gar Pike, possesses, as these people assure me, a 



He says : "Among the rest there is one wonderful instinct, which is, that if it 



called by the Indians of the country wants to catch any birds it goes among 



Chaousaron, of divers lengths. The lar- the rushes or reeds bordering the lake 



gest, I was informed by the people, are in many places, keeping the beak out of 



eight to ten feet. I saw one of five as the water without budging, so that when 



thick as a thigh, with a head as big as the birds perch on the beak, imagining it 



two fists, with jaws two and one-half the limb of a tree, it is so subtle that 



feet long, and a double set of very sharp closing the jaws, which it keeps half 



and dangerous teeth. The form of the open, it draws the birds under water by 



body resembles that of the pike, and it is the feet. The Indians gave me a head 



armed with scales that the thrust of a of it, which they prize highly, saying that 



poniard cannot pierce, and it is of a sil- when they have a headache they let blood 



ver-gray color. The point of the snout with the teeth of this fish at the seat of 



is like that of a hog. This fish makes war pain, which immediately goes away." 



Seth Mindwell. 



THE CHAMELEON OF OUR SOUTHERN STATES. 



In the first place he is not a Chameleon It is, of course, the chameleon-like 



at all — this little native of the south power of changing the color of his skin 



whom we sometimes see hawked about which has given this name to our lizard 



our northern streets by novelty-venders acquaintance, and as names once given 



in the wake of circus parades — who has are not easily gotten rid of, it would per- 



even been doomed to slavery and fastened haps not be a bad idea to put him down 



by gold manacles to the silken gowns of permanently as the Chameleon-lizard, 



novelty-seeking women, but who at home For he is really a lizard, one of the small- 



among his own green vines and brooding est of the nearly two thousand species 



sunshine is a fitting and attractive accom- known, and in the books he answers to 



paniment of southern life. the name Anolis. In real life, unfortu- 



For the true Chameleon we must go nately, he cannot answer to any name, 

 much farther, to Africa or Madagascar, nor even to sentiments of any sort, how- 

 or in the case of one species to some parts ever invitingly expressed, as he is utterly 

 of Europe or India. We should find him and absolutely without a voice. Still, 

 a curiously constructed creature, with a he has compensations even for this lack, 

 prehensile tail, with toes specially fitted Judging from our Chameleon's sluggish 

 for grasping twigs of trees, with a stumpy blood, from the way he has of taking long 

 horny head almost immovable, but with sun baths on some particular spot of vine 

 curious tongue and eyes which make up or fence, from his finding his way into the 

 in intelligence and power of motion — the house when cold weather comes and 

 eyes seemingly able to reach in any direc- spending the winter hidden away in dark 

 tion, and the tongue a long club-shaped corners or perched high up on some win- 

 arrangement which can shoot itself out dow screen or lace curtain, one can im- 

 for several inches and gather insects on agine him to be a sort of domestic animal, 

 its swollen sticky end. having his home and keeping it, in a cei - 



226 



