312 
The Animal-Lore of ShaJcsjoeare’s Time . 
of his body, wherewith he preyes upon Ayes, the top thereof being 
hollowed by nature for that purpose, so that deceived they be who 
think e that they eate nothing but live upon aire; though surely aire is 
their principal sustenance.” ( Purchas , vol. ii. p. 904.) 
Another traveller writes 
“ There [Malay Archipelago] are store of lizards, and chamelions, 
which agree to Plinies description; onely it is airie, that they live of 
aire without other meat"; for having kept one aboord but a day, we 
might perceive him to hunt for flies, in a very strange manner. Hav¬ 
ing espied her setting, he suddenly shootes a thing forth of his mouth, 
perhaps his tongue, lothsome to behold, the fashion almost like a bird- 
bolt, wherewith he takes and eates them, with such speed, that a man 
can scarsly discern what he doth; even in the twinkling of an eie.” 
(Purchas , vol. i. p. 417.) 
A still earlier description of the chameleon is given 
by Sir John Mandeville, 1356, in an account of a visit to 
some islands off the coast of China. 
“ Ther ben also in that contree manye camles, that is a lytille best 
as a goot, that is wylde, and he lyvethe by the eyr, and etethe nought 
ne drynkethe nought at no tyme. And he chaungethe his colour often 
tyme: for men seen him often scithes, now in a colour and now in 
another colour: and he may chaunge him in to alle maner of coloures 
that him list, saf only in to red and white.” ( Travels , p. 289, ed. Halli- 
well, 1839.) 
The “ gray-headed error,” to use Sir Thomas 
Browne’s expression, of the venomous qualities 
1 * possessed by the harmless little Blind-worm, 
or Slow-worm, still lingers in country districts, and has 
caused the death of many an innocent victim. In his 
account of English reptiles, Harrison tells us:— 
“We have also the sloworme, which is blacke and graiesh. of colour, 
and somewhat shorter than an adder. I was at the killing once of one 
of them, and thereby perceived that she was not so called of anie want 
of nimble motion, but rather of the contrarie. Neverthelesse we have 
a blind worme to be found under logs in woods, and timber that hath 
lien long in a place, 1 which some also doo call (and upon better ground) 
