524 
CAFFRARIA. 
which is placed in the middle of the hut, must find its way 
out the best way it can, through the roof or by the door. 
CafFraria contains of quadrupeds, the wolf, lion, buffalo, 
elk, large elephant, quacha, knoo, stag, hog, rhinoceros, 
sea-cow, a variety of bucks, wild dogs, hedgehog, baboon, 
and various other creatures, among which are the lizard, 
and cameleon. Of the latter animal, it is commonly reported 
that it changes colour according to the substance on which it 
is placed. That it changes colour I have no doubt, having 
myself seen it; but Dr. Vanderkemp, who particularly at- 
tended to it, said, that he placed a cameleon on black, when 
it turned almost black, like mud ; upon dark blue it turned 
not so black as in the former case, but no blue colour was to 
be seen; upon white it assumed the colour of white ashes; 
upon green, a yellowish grey, with green spots; upon bright 
red it remained white, with a yellow hue. He then placed 
it in a dark box, expecting to find it black; but on opening 
the box he found it white, and leaving the box open, it got 
large brown spots of a chocolate colour. These changes 
take place in one, two, or three minutes; they affect not the 
whole surface of the body from their commencement, but 
spots are at first seen, commonly on the sides of the body, 
below the neck on the shoulders, and the eyelids. The pro- 
gress from one colour to the other is not uniform, but by in- 
tervals, slower or more rapid, as it were by flushes. It is 
not necessary to irritate the animal to make it change its 
colour, for the change takes place even when it is asleep. 1 
have a male and female cameleon, which I brought with me 
in a glass-case to England ; of course both dead, but in a 
good state of preservation. The male is chiefly a grey 
colour, intermixed with light green spots, and a considerable 
part in the middle of the sides is light green. The female is 
black, but appears as if sprinkled with white powder. 
There is a great variety of birds in Caffraria, which 1 
cannot name, only the honey bird, w-hich 1 have formerly 
mentioned, has this peculiarity which I have not formerly 
stated, that, when it is tamed, it will follow a person like 
a dog. 
