166 



MR. A. LOVERIDGE ON 



This use of the horns interested me greatl}^, as I had hitherto- 

 regarded the horns as an extravagant growth such as is common 

 in beetles. 



One chameleon in throwing itself off the branch was injured,, 

 and lay on its side; the hind- limbs and tail were paralysed. 

 When put on the branch, it dragged them after it very helplessly.. 

 In one minute from the time of its fall the tail and hind-limbs- 

 and posterior part of the body were almost white, the rest of the 

 body being dark green verging on black. As it did not recover 

 I chloroformed it three minutes later. 



April 1st, 1915. — Another of the chameleons fell or threw 

 itself down and was killed ; the posterior half of the body went 

 white immmediately, and the creature never stirred again.. 

 Sometimes one will jump down six or more times in a single- 

 morning, and so I conclude that these two accidents occurred 

 through the chameleons falling on their backs. When given a 

 grasshopper one of the chameleons held the kicking fore-legs in 

 its "hands" ; another, which was given five ant-lions in succession, 

 made use of its " hands " in very human fashion for pulling off 

 the gauzy wings which were flapping about its jaws. 



Chameleon mellert (Gray). 

 Blgr. Cat. Liz. iii. 1887, p. 472. 



Two specimens of this giant chameleon were taken. A female 

 at Mkuyuni (31. viii. 17) measured 21 inches (273-261 mm.), and 

 a male at Morogoro(l. x. 18), tail mutilated, 238 mm. Extruded 

 tongue measured 17 inches. 



My attention was drawn to the female by the horse-guard, wha 

 found it wandering in the grass ; its colour then was yellow and 

 green, pale and dark shades of both. Placed under a pot it- 

 became dark green, and then almost black with wrath. Suspended 

 by the tail it would turn, and grasping its hind-legs with its fore- 

 legs, climb up its own tail. Its claws were sharp enough to make 

 my bare arm bleed as it crawled up to my shoulder. 



The second specimen was brought by a boy who caught it in 

 the hills behind Morogoro ; it lived well enough in a large cage 

 until a Lemur was introduced into the same cage, which already 

 contained a 12-ft. Python. During the night the Lemur chewed 

 the chameleon's tail to a rag; the second night I caught it doing- 

 the same thing, so chloroformed the chameleon. I was surprised 

 that a creature like a Lemur could tackle so big a chameleon 

 whose bite must be pretty severe. 



Rhampholeon brevicaudatus (Mats.). 



Matschie, Sig. B. Ges. Naturf. 1892, p. 107. 



A female was taken at Morogoro (28. xi. 17) measuring- 

 2| inches (40'16 mm.) over all. It contained five eggs of oblong 



