60 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY 
floor of the cage. While in this weak state, their colour 
differed from any we ever observed them to assume while 
in health. They became of the following hues, viz. yel- 
low and purple. These colours were in large irregular 
patches, and seemed gradually to brighten as the animals 
became weaker, until on death they were brightest. 
With regard to the transparent property of the body of 
the Chameleon, we have only to say, that on one occasion, 
we are tolerably sure that we observed the shadow of the 
wires of the cage, during the bright sunshine, through the 
body of one of them, while in a compressed state. 
These remarks, we think, seem to show that the exist- 
ing opinions, which attribute the change of colour to the 
action of the lungs, as the chief cause, is correct; not we 
believe entirely, however, owing to the change of colour 
of the blood, according to the respiration, transmitted by 
the skin; but conjointly, with its effects on the integu- 
ments, rendering them more or less tense or flaccid; and 
ffiius enabling the surface to reflect different rays of light at 
different times, according to the state of the integuments. 
It is curious to observe the opinions of naturalists con- 
cerning the change of colour in the Chameleon, and we 
have here subjoined those of the authors we have consulted 
on this point, in a tabular form. 
AUTHORS. 
Opinions concerning the causes of Change of Colour. 
Aristotle . £ 
Pliny. £ 
Worm. 1655. 
Solinus. 
The Cartesians. ^ 
Kircher. 
Goddard. 
Sonnini. £ 
Author in 
Encycloped.who I 
quotes the pre- 
ceding five Au- 
thors. J 
Encyc. Brit. ^ 
Eneyc. Edin. | 
Linnseus , 5 
System. Nat. 3 
Goldsmith , 5 
Animat. Nat. 3 
Hasselquist. 
Shaxv, Nat. Hist. 
Russell, Nat. Hist. 7 
Aleppo. 3 
Fleming, Philos. 5 
of Zool. 3 
French Academi- 7 
Lacepede, Ovip. \ 
Quad. 3 
D'Obsonvillc. J 
Dumeril, Diet. de7 
Sciences Nat. 3 
Cuvier , 
Regne Anim. 
Barrow , 
Travels in Africa. 3 
The change of colour takes place when the animal becomes infla- 
ted. 
Takes the colour of bodies which it approaches, except red and 
white. 
From affections of the mind of animal. 
Reflection. 
By disposition of parts that compose the skin giving a different mo- 
dification to rays of light. 
Imagination of animal. 
Granules on skin reflecting colour of bodies adjacent. 
Their different affections increase or diminish the intensity of the 
tints of colour. 
Skin yellow ; blood violet ; change in consequence of different 
quantities of blood driven into skin at different times. 
Changes on exposure to sun ; colour seems to depend on state of 
health, temperature, and other unknown causes. 
Lungs render skin more or less transparent, and also change the 
colour of the blood according as inflated. 
Perhaps from being seized with a kind of jaundice. 
Not from colour of objects it approaches. 
(From being very subject to jaundice. 
|From exposure to sun, changes colour. 
From objects on which they happen to be placed. 
According to states of animal. 
jFrom exposure to sun. 
Fear, anger, and heat. 
Blood violet ; vessels and skin yellow ; hence upon quantity of 
blood driven to skin depends colour. 
According as blood is sent more or less rapidly in contact with the 
fresh air inspired. 
According to their wants and passions, lungs render body more or 
less transparent, and force the blood more or less to flow to- 
wards the skin : that fluid coloured more or less brightly accord- 
ing to quantity of air taken into lungs. 
From quantity of oxygen in lungs. 
These quotations show that the opinions of naturalists on 
this subject are very various, and even contradictory. 
However, with the exception of a few, including Dr. Rus- 
sell and Pliny, all seem to agree, that the colour of the 
Chameleon does not depend on that of the body on which 
it happens to be placed. 
sometimes, while on a tree, the colour of the animal ap- 
proached to that of the bark; and again, while on the 
grass, after some time it became of a green hue. Now, 
these two colours are the most usual, as far as our observa- 
tion goes, which the Chameleon assumes, however situated. 
Coincidences such as these however, we admit, are cer- 
tainly liable to mislead, especially those, setting about an 
inquiry of this nature, under the influence of a precon- 
ceived theory. But indeed, Dr. Russell at the same time 
admits, that the Chameleon does not always assume the 
colour of the ground on which it is placed, and states, that, 
when put into a box lined with black, it sometimes became 
lighter in colour, and vice versa when put into a white one. 
Another objection to this theory is, that the Chameleon re- 
tains its hue for some time after removal from the spot 
where it had become of any particular colour, which could 
not be the case did it depend upon the colour of surround- 
ing objects. This fact we have often noticed, and with the 
exception of the somewhat ridiculous opinions of Linnseus, 
Hasselquist, and Kircher, most of the authors we have 
quoted, either distinctly state, or from their observations on 
this subject entitle us to infer, that the lungs are the principal 
agents in the production of the change of colour, their ac- 
tion being apparently modified by the temperature of the 
air — light — passions or affections of the mind — state of 
health — various wants — and perhaps other unknown causes. 
Edin. Phil. Jour. 
THE BLACK SWAN. 
When the classical writers of antiquity spoke of the 
Black Swan as a proverbial rarity, so improbable as almost 
to be deemed impossible, little did they imagine that in 
these latter days a region would be discovered, nearly equal 
in extent to the Roman empire even at the proudest period 
of its greatness, in which their “ rara avis” would be found 
in as great abundance as the common wild Swan upon the 
lakes of Europe. Such, however, has been one of the 
least singular among the many strange and unexpected re- 
sults of the discovery of the^great southern continent of 
New Holland. 
The Black Swans are found as well in Van Diemen’s 
Land as in New South Wales and on the western coast of 
New Holland. They are generally seen in flocks of eight 
or nine together, floating on a lake; arujLwhen disturbed, 
flying off like wild geese in a direct line one after the other. 
They are said to be extremely shy, so as to render it difficult 
to approach within gunshot of them. — Menag. Zool. Soc. 
