o r else it pierces the insect with its point, which is v e ry sharp. I have often admired the v e lo c ity with which the camelion thus secures its food, but never could discover whether it were to be attributed to the former, or the latter cause. It is partly nourished b y the sun and air ; it delights to bask in the sun with its mouth open, to receive the heat o f its rays. The length o f the camelion when full grown is ten or twelve inches, including the tail. Wh en suddenly discovered, and pursued, it runs fast, forgettiug its wonted caution, which is never to trust to the tread o f the foot, the toes o f which grasp the object they tread on : in its ordinary movements, its step is geometrically exact ; it looks ca re fu lly around to discover the state o f the surrounding place, and to ascertain i f e v e ry thing be safe, one eye looking behind, the other before, and in all transverse directions ; for this organ is a perfect hemisphere, projecting from the head, and moving in various and independant directions. Having ascertained that its feet are safe, and that the substance on w hich they are fixed is firm, the camelion disengages its tail, and proceeds on, with the same caution, again fastening the tail, b y twisting it round some branch or twig, t ill it has ascertained the safety o f the next step. Many doubts h a v e arisen w ith regard to the camelion’s mode o f changing its co lo u r ; from the various and repeated observations which I have from time to time made on this most extraordinary animal, in a confined as well as in a free state, I have been enabled to ascertain, that in gardens (its ordinary resort), it grad ually changes its colour, assuming that o f the substance ove r which it passes, and to do this it requires two or three minutes ; the change beginning b y the body becoming covered w ith small spots o f the colour o f the substance o v e r which it a ctu ally passes, and which grad ually increase, t ill it is altogether o f that p articular colour; green appears its favourite, or at least it assumes that hue more distinctly than any other, for I have seen it on vines so perfectly green, that it was scarcely distinguishable from the leaves; when it assumes’ a white or black colour these are not clear, but o f a dirty hue, inclining to brown. When irritated, it w ill grad u ally assume a dirty blackish colour, which it retains whilst the irritation lasts, swelling its sides, and hissing like a serpent; when asleep, o r inclined to rest, it is o f a whitish cast. In the course of the various experiments which my curiosity and admiration o f the camelion induced me to make, I discovered that it never drinks, and that it always avoids wet and rain. I-kept three in a cage for the period o f four months, during which time I never gave them any fo o d : they appeared withered and thin. Others, which I kept in a small confined garden, retained their original size and appearance; consequently it is to be supposed that th e y feed on the leaves o f ve g e tab le s : those confined in the cage did not v a ry the ir colour much, appearing generally that o f the c a g e ; but i f an y thing green, such as vegetables, were placed near it, they would assume that h u e ; those confined in the garden assumed so much the colour o f the object over which they progressively passed, as to render it difficult to discover them. Various medipinal qualities ape assigned to the flesh o f the camelion ; and many whimsical effects are a ttr ibuted to fumigation with it when d r ie d ; debilitated persons have recourse to it, and it is accordingly sold in all the drug shops at Marocco, Fas, and other places, w hich shops are named Hanute El A t t a r i : the smell arising from the fumigation is b y no means g ra te fu l; but what scent w ill prevent an African
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