while the negro seizes this moment for slipping the nooze over his neck, and drags him to the ground.

many

Catesby says, that the Guanas form a great part of the subsistence of the inhabitants of the Bahama islands; for which purpose, they visit of the remote islands to catch them, which they do by dogs trained up for that purpose, and these are so dexterous, as not often to kill them ; if they do, they are used immediately as food. If otherwise, they fasten up their mouths to prevent their biting, and put them into the hold of their sloop, till they have caught a sufficient number, which they carry alive for sale in Carolina, or salt and barrel up for the use of their families at home-their flesh is delicate and well tasted.

The Guana, like the rest of the Lizard tribe, will live a long time without food: Mr Browne domesticated one in Jamaica, which was never observed to eat any thing. When first this creature was taken into the house, it was very fierce and ill-natured; but after some time, its temper improved, and at length it would pass the greatest part of the day on the bed, where it was fond of lying. Mr. Browne adds, that the Guana may be very easily tamed while young, and is then both an innocent and beautiful com panion.

THE CHAMELEON.

LIKE the Crocodile, this little animal proceeds from an egg; and it also nearly resembles that formidable creature in form: but it differs widely in its size and appetites; being not above eleven inches long, and chusing to sit upon trees, through fear of serpents, from which it is unable to escape on the ground.

The head of a large Chameleon, is almost two inches long; and like that of a fish is fixed inmoveable to the shoulders: the thickness of the body varies according as it is more or less inflated; for it can blow itself up, and contract. itself at pleasure. This swelling and contraction. are not only of the back and the belly, but of the legs and tail.

When the air is completely discharged from the body of the Chameleon, it appears to consist of little more than skin and bone; indeed such is its leanness, that the ribs and the joints of the back bone may be distinctly seen and counted. In this state, it is said to resemble a mere animated skeleton covered with a skin.

This method of puffing itself up, is similar to that in pigeons, whose crops are sometimes greatly distended with air. The Chameleon has a power of driving the air it breathes, over every part of the body: however, it ouly gets between the skin and the muscles, for the

muscles

themselves are never swollen. The skin is very cold to the touch; and though the animal seems so lean, there is no feeling the beating of the heart. The surface of the skin is unequal, and has a grain not unlike shagreen, but very soft, because each eminence is as smooth as if it were polished. The colour of all these eminences, when the Chameleon is at rest in a shady place, is of a bluish gray, and the spaces between are of a pale red and yellow.

But when the animal is removed into the sun, then comes the wonderful part of its history. At first it appears to suffer no change of colour, its grayish spots still continuing the same; but the whole surface soon seems to imbibe the rays of light; and the colouring of the body changes into a variety of hues. Wherever the light comes upon the body, it is of a tawney brown; but that part of the skin on which the sun does not shine, changes into several brighter colours, pale yellow, or vivid crimson; which form spots of the size of half one's finger; some of these descend from the spine half way down the back; and others appear on the sides, arm and tail. When the sun has done shining, the original gray colour returns by degrees, and covers all the body. Sometimes the animal becomes all over spotted with brown spots, of a greenish cast. When it is wrapped up in a white linen cloth for two or three minutes, the natural colour becomes much lighter; but not quite

white, however, from hence it must not be con. eluded that the Chameleon assumes the colour of the objects which it approaches; this is entirely an error, and probably has taken its rise from the continual changes it appears to undergo.

As these changes in the colour of the Chameleon appear so extraordinary, we shall add the report of a traveller, who had one for some time in his possession;-"Its general colour, says he, "was a pleasant green spotted with a pale blue; from this it changed to a bright yellow, dark olive, and a dull green, but never appeared to such advantage as when irritated, or a dog approached it; the body was then considerably inflated, and the skin clouded like tortoise shell in shades of yellow, orange, green and black. A black object always caused an immediate change of colour: the room in which it was kept was skirted by a board painted black, this, the Chameleon carefully avoided; but if he accidently drew near it, or we placed a black hat in his way, he was reduced to a hide. ous skeleton, and from the most lively tints bebecame black as jet; on removing the cause, the effect as suddenly ceased; the sable hue was succeeded by a brilliant colouring, and the body was again inflated."

When the Chamelcon changes place, and attempts to descend from an eminence, it moves with the utmost precaution, advancing one leg

very deliberately before the other, still securing itself by holding whatever it can grasp by the tail. It seldom opens the mouth, except for fresh air, and when that is supplied, discovers its satisfaction by its motions, and the frequent changes of its colour. The tongue is sometimes darted out with amazing quickness after its prey, which is flies; and this is about half the length of the whole body, resembling very much a common earth-worm. The eyes are remarkably little, though they stand out of the head: they have a single eye-lid; like a cap with a hole in the middle, through which the pupil of the eye appears, which is very bright; and round it there is a little circle of a gold colour; but the most extraordinary part of their conformation is, that the animal is able to see what passes before, behind, or on either side, and it can give all these motions to one eye while the other remains perfectly at rest.

It is supposed, that this wonderful structure is given to the eye by Providence, to defend it from the intense light of the sun; and when we see the contrivance used by Laplanders and other northern nations, to protect themselves from the excessive gleam of the snow, by covering their eyes with a thin board having a narrow slit in the middle of it, we can scarcely hesitate in believing, that this provision is given to the Chameleon for the same purpose.

The peculiar property which the Chameleon