Observations on the Chameleon. 323 



at other times it is kept closely shut. It was noticed also that 

 as a dingy black was the common colour when enjoying itself 

 in the usual habit of basking* in the sun, a light, or whitish 

 yellow prevails when it is asleep ; during' which time it never 

 changes its position. 



Desirous of obtaining a knowledge of the temperature of its 

 body, at nine o'clock of the evening of the 18th of August, 

 when a thermometer in the room stood at 64°, this instrument 

 was moved carefully to the side of the chameleon, when the 

 colour changed from yellow to greenish, and then to deeper 

 green, followed by purple spots, and it expanded itself hy 

 inhaling air, an action which sometimes is accompanied with a 

 rushing or hissing sound, the lungs appearing to occupy the 

 lower portion of the belly. While the thermometer lay in 

 contact with its side, in a few minutes it rose to 68° ; and a 

 few hours afterwards, when the animal was still asleep and 

 distended with air, with the colour a light yellowish green, 

 and the thermometer in the room stood at 63°, on its being 

 applied to the side it again rose to 68°. At this time, although 

 the touch of the thermometer did not cause it to awake, two 

 rows of purple spots made their appearance on the former 

 ground ; and it was observed that whenever two rows of spots 

 were produced they were large, and in one situation and 

 direction. 



On another evening, at eleven o'clock, when the thermo- 

 meter stood at 62°, and the chameleon was asleep, with the 

 colour light yellow, although the touch of the instrument did 

 not cause it io awake, yet the colour changed to darker, and 

 it became covered with numerous purple lines; and then, in a 

 few minutes the colour was dark green with obscure purple 

 spots. But both sides do not always adopt the same colours ; 

 for while basking in the sun with the side towards the light a 

 very dark brown, the shaded side was lighter, with green tints 

 and two large rows of purple spots, and yet sometimes spots 

 in the same order are altogether white. When asleep at night 

 the colour was light yellow, with two rows of white spots, on 

 holding a lighted candle at only a sufficient distance to com- 

 municate warmth, the side thus acted on became of a uniform 

 brown, while the other side continued of the former light 

 yellow. Afterwards, while still asleep, and the colour was 

 yellow with two rows of white spots, when a candle was held 

 within the distance of three inches, the side exposed to the- 

 candle became brown with a row of deeper brown spots, and 

 the other side continued with the unchanged light yellow and 

 white spots; the change when it took place not requiring 

 more than a minute, and within a minute afterwards, on re- 

 moving the candle both sides were of a greenish yellow with 



