Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-09-21
Florida Chameleons.

A few days after. our special artist
Harry went out for tramp. and re-
turned to camp. his face radiant with
pleasure and self-sat sfaction.
"Tom," said he, :" have caught for
you some black, some yellow, and some
brown lizards"
Then he carefully opened an old
cigar-boX in which he usually carried
his paints, and, as he pceped inside, his
eyes opened and his whole face ex-
pressed the utmost astonishment.
"What is the matter?" asked Tom.
"Have they escaped?"
Escaped! No." said he. "But either
l am bewitched, or some wOod-nymph
has played trick upon me; for here is
box full of pea-green lizardsh'
" Carolina dnolisr' remarked Tom.
"Who's she? The wood-nymph? DO
you know her?" asked Harry, as he
shut the box, with snap. "Well,
what l want to know is, how Carrie
| what s-her-name painted all my speci-
mems bright-green, for l am willing to
vouch that nothing green touched that
box"
Except yourself" laughed Tom.
"You have been catching what are
commonly known as Florida chame-
Icons, and they have changed color in
the box"
From the mysterious depths of his
pockets Tom produced a magnifying-
glass. Then, thrusting his hands into
the cigar-box, he pulled out one Of the
squirming reptiles, and, holding it in
his fingers, handed Harry the glass,
saying:
Look and see how old Dame Ma
ture has adapted the feet of these little
rascals for climbing"
Harry looked and saw that the under
side OF each toe was a cushion, the sur
face of which was plated like an old
fashioned shirt-front-the plats on the
hinder part having their edges turned
toward the end of the toe, and the
plaits on the forward part having their
edges turned toward the heel, thus
dividing the cushion in the middle Just
as the band for the studs divided the
shirt-front. And upon looking fur
Their. Harry discovered that the edges
of the plaits were armed with rows of
needle-like points, and the mechanical
principles upon which the foot acted
dawned upon him.
Il see, L sect" he exclaimed .'When
the little rascal runs up wall, the soft
pads upon his toes fit and fill any little
uneven place beneath them, acting like
the leather suckers we used to make;
while, at the same time, the little spines
pointing downward are brought to bear
upon the surface of the wall. But,"
he continued, "should Mr.. Bright Eyes
run down the wall. the pads perform
their part just as well and are aided by
the opposite set of spines and plaits
Hurrah for Tom, the great naturalist"
he shouted, and in his enthusiasm
dropped the box from under his arm.
The inmates Immediately took advan-
tage of the opportunity to scatter i'm
every direction; seeing which, Harry
grabbed at one and caught it by the
tail. His sudden cry of horror startled
Tom from his fit of laughter; but when
a tailless chameleon darted under a
stick at his feet, and he saw Harry gaz-
ing with CONSERVATION on squirming
tail which he held in his hand for mo-
ment, and then dropped, twisting and
writing, on the ground, he broke out
afresh and laughed immoderately.
Harry looked up at last, muttering
something about its being his belief
that the box had contained imps instead
of reptiles. Tom, however, explained
that it was quite an ordinary occurrence
for this curious animal to part with its
caudal appendage, when. by that means,
escape from captivity was possible
d q. Beard. IN ST. Nicholas.