The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-01-22
THE CHAMELEON'S CHANGES.

The New York Tribune thus interestingl
describes the process by which the skin of til
chameleon changes in hue:
A paper was recently read before the Socie
ty of Biology Of Paris by Mr.. Paul Bert, upo
the causes which produce the changes il
color in the chameleon. These changes d.
not run through quite so wide range of tint
as is assumed by the disputatious travellers il
Arabia in the well-known fable. They var
from deep bottle-green, through brigh
pea-green, up to very lively yellow The
cause producing them is purely nervous
This has been fully proved by various expert
ments in vivisection.
| If the sciatic nerve is divided on the LEFT
side, this side Of the body takes the darkest
tint, while the opposite side becomes light.
The nerves producing these effects, though
they accompany the motor nerves from the
brain to the extremities, do not appear to be
identical with them. Curious effects follow
the iremoval more or less completely of the
encephalon. Ii both hemispheres are par
tally removed, the nucleus remaining, the
animal becomes dark. If one hemisphere is
removed only, the opposite side becomes
dark, but the side which has suffered the in
jury retains the lighter tint.
Anmsthetics and all drugs or poisons which
act upon the nervous system produce effects
which cannot always be predicted Curare
makes the animal deeply dark, but chloroform
brightens the tint Chloroform, in quanti-
ties sufficient to destroy life. acts in the end,
however, like curare, to make the color dark
There are, therefore, nerves called distinct
lively coloring nerves, proceeding from the
centre Of the encephalon, through which the
will of the animal, Of which the hemispheres
are the organs, acts to vary its tint at pleasure
ha oban NV WI; ob ~, 7
thus described Beneath the skin Of the ami
NAL there are found all over its snrface vesi-
Giles charged with coloring fluid which,
when withdrawn into them, leaves the cpl
dermls and the tissue Immediately beneath
to exhibit their natural color, which is bright
yellow These vesicles, however, communi-
cate with net work of minute ducts inter-
secting and interiacing by myramid of
Immediately beneath the trans
parent epldermis, and when the colorine Ii
quid is injected into these, the effect is to
produce change of color in the animal, the
intensity Of which depends on the degree to
which they are distended. The nerves act
directly on the vesicles. When these con-
tract the fuid is expelled; when they expand
il is reabsorbed.
Mr.. Bert has observed the curious fact that |
light has the effect to brighten the color of |
he chameleon, and that in darkness it be-
comes also dark. Thus, when approached in
he night while sleeping, one side being in
he light and the other in shadow, the shad-
,wed side only is found dark the other being
light. If awakened it becomes light on both
ides. The manner in which this nervous
with its resulting reflex action, is
is not clear, and it is suggested
hat We may have a point Of departure for
uture investigations of interest to general
physiology.
New York san: The aping of royal airs
which Gen. Grant so conspicuously mani
ested IN setting up an equipage with gaudily
!verled coachmen and footmen has excited
he emulation Of some Of his admirers Very
naturally the imitation distemper breaks ont
aost violently in stable. In recent num- .
er OF one OF the Court journals, the Wash
ngton Chronicle, a horse barber named lay {
)r adNertlSeS himself as Professional Gin !