14 The Florida Chameleon. (January, 
stickleback (Gasterosteus Noveboracenis), in its love season, go 
through changes as bright and rapid; yes, even the gray, cold 
pupil of its eye would flash into the true blue of heaven. The 
eye of our Anolis cannot do this. Its colors are fixed: But what 
a pretty eye it has. The pupil is as the most sparkling jet, and 
the iris is a ring of limpid amber. But as to these color-changes, 
it should be borne in mind that they are excited by causes the 
very opposite in character, love and hate, for they can woo 
and fight too; also by fear and joy. In the changes just de- 
scribed, I see the manifestation of animal enjoyment. It is No- 
lie’s way of telling it, — his conventional, “ I feel good.” So 
dumb is he that this is his ‘only way of getting it out. Only 
once have I heard any semblance to sound escape him. I had 
thrown a half-crippled fly at him, which struck on his nose. He 
let off just the tiniest “ umph!” then caught the fly and disposed : 
of it. 
The sun has gone down behind yonder house, Nolie knows it. 
His bright colors have left, and he betakes himself to his little 
ve. 
I had forgotten to say that Nolie’s two weakly comrades died 
within some three weeks of each other. One of them had lain 
for two days on the mossy bed, and was a beautiful bright green. 
How we did admire it for those two days, not knowing that its 
little life had fled. It was somewhat consoling to us all to reflect 
that doubtless its time had come, and it had died in a green old 
age. It was put into alcohol, where in a few days the green dis- 
appeared, and the normal brown returned. This surprised me, 
as I had expected a result similar to my experience with the 
green snake ( Chlorosoma vernalis), which in alcohol turns blue. 
Respecting its comrade, it should be added that it also departed 
this life in a suit of green. 
I once possessed a very large Anolis from Cuba. Its body was 
about ten inches long, and it was quite thick in proportion. 
That which entertained us greatly was its expansile throat, or 
dewlap, which it would inflate to an enormous size. This char- 
acteristic is to some extent true of our little Anolis principalis, 
and is dwelt upon largely in the books. In this regard I have 
been disappointed, having witnessed the phenomenon only twice 
in an entire summer. The spectacle, though strange, is very 
pretty. The skin under the throat expands immensely, giving 
to the animal a comical but rather formidable aspect. The col- 
ors of the inflated dewlap are very fine, usually ending in a per- 
fect flame of intense scarlet. 
