D 



86 



Marvels of the Universe 



magnitude. I prefer to draw the line tliere. because it is puerile in my opinion to pretend to trace 

 colour in Stars so small that the\' can scarce!}' be seen at all. 



Much speculation has been indulged in as to the physical condition of the Stars which we see 

 exhibiting the various gradations of colour, included for convenience sake under the general name 

 of " red " Stars. It seems a simple, perhaps one might sa_v obvious, theory that they are Suns in 

 an incandescent condition ; in other words, are celestial objects on fire. Certainly, in looking at 

 some of those which have a very pronounced colour, this theory might seem to be the right one. 

 but I hesitate to say that it is so. The fact that so many of the red Stars are variable in their 

 light, or, to put it the other way about, that so many of the Stars which undergo variations of 



PJioto bii} 



[W. Siu-ille Kent. 



JK CHAMELEON. 



Africa is probably ihe original home of the Chameleon, and even now its distribution is limited to Africa and the most 

 southerly districts of Europe and Asia. Madagascar has reared both the largest species < which is about two feet in length) and 

 the smallest — less than three inches. 



brilliancy are often red or reddish, would seem to countenance the notion that changes of the nature 

 of combustion periodically take place in them. 



Various attempts have been made to devise some means of comparing the colours of Stars with 

 some definite standard. 1 have often thought that if a scheme of shades of colour could be re- 

 produced by little circles of coloured glass in regular gradation, the pieces of glass being mounted 

 in a frame of convenient size to hold in the hand, such a contrivance would be a colour photo- 

 meter capable of being made of practical usefulness in estimating the colours of Stars. Such a 

 method of investigation would not be without its interest, and might add considerably to our 

 knowledge of these jewels of the night. 



STRANGE CHAMELEONS 



BY SIR H.\RRY JOHNSTON, G.C.M.G. 



The Chameleons are a very peculiar and easily recognized sub-order of lizards, restricted in their 

 distribution to Africa and Madagascar, Southern Spain, Syria, Asia Minor, Western and Southern 

 Arabia, Southern India and Ceylon. They would seem to have originated in South or East 



