136 SAUEIANS. 



dactylus, Ptyodactylus, Thecadactylus, Stenodactytus, and Gymno- 

 dactylus.^ 



The Wall Gecko {P. homalocepJialus), Fig. 31, is of an ashy- 

 grey colour, as if powdered on the upper part of the body. It 

 is white underneath, and inhabits the islands of the Mediterranean, 

 as well as the countries which form the basin of that sea, such as 

 Italy, France, Spain, and Africa. They are generally found in old 

 walls ; they are, however, sometimes seen running on those of 

 modern habitations. They feed on all sorts of insects, particu- 

 larly on the dipterous insects and Arachnidans. 



Chameleo. (Laueenti.) 



The genus Chameleo, of which ten species are described in the 

 British Museum Catalogue, are natives of Africa and Asia and 

 naturalised in Southern Europe. They live on trees, clinging to the 

 branches by their feet and prehensile tails ; they move slowly and 

 with great caution, feeding upon insects, which they catch with 

 singular dexterity by the rapid elongation of their tongue, which 

 is viscid at the tip. 



Certain groundless metaphors, deeply rooted in the popular 

 mind, have singularly distorted the truth in respect to these 

 reptiles. It is commonly believed that the Chameleon often 

 changes its shape, that it has no fixed colour belonging to itself, 

 but takes that of all objects which it approaches. This singular 

 idea has descended from very ancient times. According to the 

 reports of Theophrastus and Plutarch, the Chameleon takes all 

 colours in turn but white; according to Aristotle it changes 

 colour all over the body ; but ^lian seems to have had views more 

 in accordance with those of modern observers, for he says when it 

 takes other colours than grey and disguises itself, it covers only 

 certain parts of the body with them. Altogether the ancients 

 made the Chameleon a very fantastic animal ; hence in the familiar 

 comparisons of literature these fabulous beings serve as a type to 

 designate uncertain principles ; to paint fawning men, who have 

 neither character nor individuality of their own, but who bend 

 themselves to the will and adopt the opinions of others. Putting 

 aside the imaginary attributes accorded to the Chameleon by the 

 fancies of the ancients, and painting them such as they are, we 



