VI KAMPALA (MENGO) 71 



jiiuicksha. The districts around the bases of the hills 

 of Kampahi are occupied with ]3laiif=^tions, and the 

 residences of the white otHcials are surrounded with 

 ample gardens, or compounds, filled with tropical trees, 

 flowers, and fruits. In walking among these gardens I 

 started a female hushbuck eating cabl)ages in the 

 kitchen garden ; in another two crowned cranes were 

 performing the dance for which they are so celebrated ; 

 I also started a heron, and in the verandah there was a 

 pretty serval cat chained up by the collar like a dog, 

 quite tame, eager and willing to receive caresses. Our 

 hostess, Mrs. Baker, had a young genet as a pet, and a 

 chameleon. Genet kittens are very pretty and great 

 favourites with men and women. While we amused 

 ourselves in catching flies for the chameleon an inter- 

 esting question arose concerning its mode of reproduc- 

 tion. I maintained that the chameleon laid eggs, and 

 was immediately faced with the following statement : — 

 A lady friend made her a present of a chameleon, which 

 was at once placed on the wire-work blind in the lower 

 half of the window ; an hour later, three young, clay- 

 coloured chameleons were clinging to the wire blind 

 and there were no signs of eggs or shells. There is no 

 real difficulty, for one species G. pumilns is viviparous, 

 and this proved to be the species under discussion. It 

 is noteworthy that the vouns; chameleons were active 

 very quickly after Ijirth, and one of them caught a fly 

 within the first three hours. 



AVe often amused ourselves with finding chameleons 

 and attem])ting to photograph the tongue when ejected 

 at a fly. The protrusion of this long elastic organ is a 

 deliberate and, on the whole, a slow action. When the 

 process is watched it is easy to see when a chameleon 

 intends to secure a fly ; whilst it is carefully focussing 

 the insect, its cheeks swell out and the end of the tongue 

 protrudes slightly from the mouth and is then (piickly 

 ejected at the fly, and, if the insect be secured, the 

 tongue is quickly and easily drawn back into the mouth. 



