PKOCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



ASIATIC SOCIETY OE BENGAL 



For January, 1870. 





The monthly meeting of tlie Society was held on Wednesday, the 

 5th instant, at 9 p. m. 



The Hon'ble J. B. Phear, Vice-President, in the chair. 



The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. 



The receipt of the following presentations was announced : — 



1. From H. Hexter, Esq., a specimen of Chamceleo vulgaris, 

 obtained near Bughodeer, Grand-trunk road. 



Dr. Stoliczka observed that the specimen exhibited was a very 

 interesting one, representing a peculiar variety of Gh. vulgaris, not 

 common in India. 



The skin is somewhat stretched, but the total length of the speci- 

 men was certainly 12 inches, or a little more, the tail measuring 

 slightly more than one half of it. Dr. Gr u* n t h e r (Peptiles of India, 

 p. 162) remarks that most of the Indian specimens are of a green 

 colour, and Dr. Gr r a y, in his monograph of the Chamceleontidce 

 (Proc. Zool. Soc. for 1864, p. 469) states that " the bands are in 

 Indian specimens generally absent, though in some (specimens) 

 clearly indicated. 7 ' 



The general colour of the body in the present specimen is a dis- 

 tinct greyish olive, having throughout a slight green tinge which, ac- 

 cording to Mr. Hexter's account, appears to have been more pre- 

 valent, and variable in the live animal, but it faded remarkably quick- 

 ly after death. Each side is marked with eight somewhat irregular 

 orange brown cross bands ; the first three bands of the fore part of the 

 body being divided into a few spots ; above the shoulder there is a 

 conspicuous white spot, and a broadish horizontal strip of the same 

 colour behind the fore foot. The head above, and partially at the 



