256 COMMON CHAMELEON. 



united as far as the claws by a common skin : on 

 the fore feet the two outward and three ini^ard toes 

 are united ; and in the hind feet the two inward 

 and three outward. The motions of the Chameleon 

 are extremely slow, and in sitting on a branch, or 

 in passing from one to another, it fastens itself by 

 coihng its tail round that from which it means to 

 pass, till it has perfectly secured the other with 

 its feet. 



The general or usual changes of colour in the 

 Chameleon, so far as I have been able to ascertain 

 from my own observation of such as have been 

 brought into this country in a living state, are from 

 a blueish ash-colour (its natural tinge) to a green 

 aijd sometimes yellowish colour, spotted unequally 

 with red. If the animal be exposed to a full sun- 

 shine, the unilluminated side generally appears, 

 within the space of some minutes, of a pale yellow, 

 with large roundish patches or spots of red-brown. 

 On reversing the situation of the animal the same 

 change takes place in an opposite direction ; the 

 side which was before in the shade now becoming 

 either brown or ash-colour, while the other side 

 becomes yellow- and red ; but these changes are 

 subject to much variety both as to intensity of 

 colours and disposition of spots. 



The following is the description given by the 

 anatomists of the French Academy : 



The colour of all the eminences of our Cha- 

 meleon when it was at rest, in the shade, and had 

 continued a long time undisturbed, was a blueish 

 grey, except under the feet, where it was white 



