LIZARDS. 421 



The chameleons are particularly abundant about cemeteries, finding a ready means 

 of retreat in the chinks of the old oven-like tombs of the south. They are not confined 

 to these situations, however, but abound everywhere; on fences, plank-walks, wharves, 

 dry weeds, and brushwood. When on the broad green leaves of the palmetto, when 

 searched for from above, they ai-e with considerable difiiculty jjerceived, so exactly 

 is the color of the leaf counterfeited ; though, on looking on the lower side of the 

 leaf, their dark shadow is very distinct. Few animals exhibit mimicry of color to a 

 greater extent than does this. Not only is the color constantly changing and passing 

 from light to shade, but a passing cloud may cause the customary bright emerald to 

 fade. When surprised, the ' chameleon ' eyes the intruder, remaining perfectly motion- 

 less until some action frightens him, when, with a dart, he is out of sight, all but his 

 caudal appendage, a bit of vanity which is seized upon by the collector, and as it is 

 better articulated than that of lizards' tails generally, its owner, though involuntarily, 

 falls a victim to " the bottle." But not always does he value his tail more than life ; 

 after a short struggle he often frees himself, leaving a bit of it behind, and scamper- 

 ing around bob-tailed until the lost jDart is renewed. The Anolis has many enemies to 

 contend with, of which the most common and most uncompromising is the cat. It is 

 said that this animal will leave anything — meat, birds, and even fish — at the slightest 

 chance of securing one of these lizards. 



From an economic standpoint the Anolis is a most important agent in restricting 

 the inordinate multiplication of insects, of which it devours great numbers. Though 

 retiring early and sleejjing late, they are abroad and at work during the warmer por- 

 tions of the day, when their prey is most abundant, and when other insectivorous 

 animals seek the quiet of retirement. 



Two species of Anolis, iodiurus, and opalinus, are very abundant m Jamaica, 

 where they entertain the visitor by their gambols and scrimmages. Indoors they are 

 very abundant, scrambling over the furniture and walls in search of insects, being 

 particularly destructive to the ants, and not infrequently do they jump on one's 

 clothing without evincing the slightest fear, all the time changing their hue from 

 shades of golden green to dark bronze brown. 



The genus Sceloporus includes a large number of American lizards which have the 

 head covered with small shields ; the back and tail with large keeled scales ; the belly 

 with smooth scales, and the femoral pores large. The members have until lately been 

 included under the name Tropidolepis. 



Sceloporus consubrinus is very generally distributed over the west, and extends 

 north to the Yellowstone. In Arizona it is not only abundant with other lizards in the 

 desert portions of the south, but is also a common inhabitant of the high, dry plains 

 of the mountains. S. gratiosus is a second widely distributed species. It has the 

 scales of the back larger than those of other portions of the body. It inhabits the 

 sandy situations along the Colorado River, and other similar localities in the west. 

 The different individuals present considerable variation in color, due to the surround- 

 ings of the frequented situations. S. spinosus, an inhabitant of Texas and Mexico, 

 reaches nearly a foot in length. Its rough carinate scales would give it a most repul- 

 sive appearance were it not that the reptile is beautifully maculated with purplish 

 black blotches. The ear opening is armed by three projecting sjjines, and the body 

 has about a dozen dark spots each side of the dorsal line. 



Of about a score of species of the genus found north of Central America, but 

 a single representative, S. widulatus, crosses the Mississippi. This species extends 



