CHAMELEONS. 
103 
grayish yellow colour, and careless of the food abundantly 
supplied them. Brehm now tried the experiment of treating 
his pets to an artificial shower of rain. Like magic, they revived. 
Their skin reassumed its more vivid and changing tints ; they 
moved their sluggish limbs, going from leaf to leaf in quest of 
the grateful moisture, and, displaying with increased energy 
their insatiable greed for prey, soon appeared to be in better 
health than ever. 
Those who have seen Chamaeleons in life would laugh at 
us for attempting to describe their form. Those who cannot 
view the living animal will learn more from the excellent 
(though uncoloured) figure of a group of Chamaeleons in the 
work of Brehm than from any written description or even, we 
might add, from the inspection of preserved specimens. We 
must, however, say something which may induce our readers to 
study these animals more closely, and we make, therefore, the 
following attempt to represent the Chamaeleon’s most character- 
istic features. 
The head is large, compared with the rest of the body, and 
though relatively short, is wide and very deep. In general 
form it is angular, with a high occipital crest, from the raised 
hinder apex of which a ridge-like wing descends on either side, 
then arches over each orbit, and finally stretches forward to 
meet its fellow just behind the rather blunt muzzle. The gape 
is very wide, the under jaw capacious. Ths nostrils lie far 
forwards, but are not very close. There are no external ears. 
The neck is short and stiff, appearing externally as little 
more than a fold between the head and the narrowed shoulders, 
from which the whole body slopes gradually backwards. 
The trunk proper, compressed laterally, is singularly lean, 
and is sharpened along the middle line both of the back and 
belly, the ventral ridge being continued on the chin. 
The tail also is much compressed, but is rounded beneath. 
It is prehensile, and usually twisted round some support. It 
constitutes more than half the total length of the animal, which 
is about ten inches. 
The slim nearly cylindrical limbs, not swollen in any part 
and much longer than the trunk, remind us of those of Cassius 
or Don Gonzales Pacheco. They end in hands and feet stouter 
than themselves, with their digits so arranged as to grasp 
securely the branches on which the animal rests. In each hand, 
the thumb, index and middle fingers, united by a membrane as 
far as their nails, are directed inwards ; while the two other 
fingers, likewise united, are turned outwards. In each foot, 
the first and second toes are connected and turned inwards ; 
