The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-05-10
CHAMELEON COLORS.
The Cl,angoabienoss in Appearance OF th'
Little Lizard.

AIittl0 A1I6EGs
Every schoolboy knows, and many
have acclaimed, James MerriclS's fa.
NOUS little poem, ''The Chameleon"
in which two men quarrel about liz
ards color, one declaring.it green, tho
other blue. They are represented as
referring the matter to the arbitration
Of third man, who promptly pro.
nounces the creature to be black, and
in proof thereof produces q specimen
which lie had captured the night be-
fore. But to- the amazement ofall three
the elusive reptile, when actually set
before them, is Mother green, blue nor
black, but white!
Since the hundreds. Of chameleons
sold at the worlds fair have made the
pretty little lizard a not uncommon pct
in many states Of the Union, very diff
ferent reports of him are given by
proud or puzzled owners.
Some are disappointed. One boy,
fastening his faith to the poem just
mentioned, declared that he mnst have
been cheated, and his chameleon was
not ,chameleonata oil, but lust conf
mon lizard, for though it certainly did
change color it did not change to the
colors he expected.
1t was often green; but never either
blue. black, or white, though he had
given it every opportunity, even incur
ring the wrath of the household by
letting it run overthe blue silk evening
dress of his sister, and his mothers
best black velvet bonnet. in the hope
of seeing it'change its hue to match,
which it ANONYMOUSLY failed to do.
Other owners complain that their
pets viii not eat; that they become
limp and lazy during the winter; that
they look miserable when chained, and
are off like q flash when loosed; that
they vanish mysteriously on being set
free, aud can never be found again. !
This last accusation is frequently
true. but is more likely to be the fault
of the family cat than the chameleon,
for pnss knows enough toprefer a ten
der lizardsto a tough ratwlren she can
get hims
AS to color, owners must not trust
too implicitly to the accuracy of the
poets. The American chamelcon's q
changes run from whitish drab through
bronze, brown, pinkish gray, dull
green, olive and dull yellow to the
most exquisitely vivid golden green;
they do not include blue or black.
Merrick's chameleon, however, was
not American bnt Arabian, and the
reccntl published journal Of tho trav-'
els of the artist, Marianne North, have a
passage which confirms the possibility
of his black chameleon IL not OF Ills
blue Que. OF her pet, which aftcr n
sea-voyage died at Athensand received
the classic homer OF bnrial iii the
Acropolis. she wrote:
while seal used to catch aies for
it. At the sight of one itswos,ld open
its moutIryery wide afad very slowly
take 1T in After o. sufficient while /
offered another. mud again It opened
its mouth slowly md wiIc. when the:
hrst hy would Wa lk out again Il MAS
. Zoo limp and depressed q swallow its;
food, poor thing, and died of siaiya-
ton diet; but it had not lost the power
of changing its color black ID S; coal ON
the dirty floor, straw color il, its inaa.
ket. Yoaaths Comp anion.
Time TO Stop,
Little Dick Fl think ID better stop
going to school.
Father Why so2
Little Dick He've got 10 stadyia
about words no,.. aud # 4 lltssn "a pro-
nc,siace every hing the ssae sia.
tionars ays, ioioay will know syhla
I'm ti lsiipss abosi !, tsooa Ns,vs,
slinaka sfli stfliss.
Draas pill Isl thor
aend Colorado tpal lplaers asisl 90 out
or strike aa q Il