Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-29
THE GENTLE CHAMELEON
INTERESTING PET AND NOT Elk
TREMELY HARD TO KEEP.
Let the Little Animals Have the
Run of Small Conservatory.
They Like Warm Weather.
From London Country Life.

From London Country Life
OF all the various syecies of reptiles
that are kept as pets the chameleon is
probably the most nteresting-certainly
the most bizarre in appearance. Unfor-
tunately, they are very susceptible to
cold, and therefore difficult to keep
through the ever-varying climatic condi-
lions of a northern winter Nevertheless.
SO quaint, interesting and amusing
pet is the chameleon that it will we'll
repay one for all the trouble or care law
ished upon it, Certainly the most sue
cessful method of keeping chameleons
would be to let them have the run of
small conservatory. kept at an even tenn
perature of about So degrees to 20 degrees
Fahrenheit and in which there were q
few dwarf trees for them to climb about
A cheap and successful method. where a
conservatory is out of the question, is to
have d wooden cage. with a glass front
and sides. and a shallow water-tank floor
The water in the tank can quite easily be
kept at an even temperature by means of
a spirit lamp placed beneath it. In such
cages the author has kept chameleons
and boa constructors most successfully,
and at very small cost. Once the de-
sired temperature Is indicated on the
thermometer the flame of the spirit lamp
can be reduced to a very small size, and
the cost of spirit consumed will only
amount to few cents a week.
Colors of the Chameleon.
Popular imagination has assigned to
the chameleon the power of changing
through all the coIors Of the rainbow. but
it's actual performance falls short of this,
some colors being quite beyond it's pow
ers. However, the chameleon is some
thing of a souick -chapge artist and cop
pass through a series of yellows, grays
greens. browns. to almost black; more
over it can accomplish that feat which
is beyond the power of the leopard, for it
can, and does, change the color of its
spots. The main factors that cause the
rapid changes of color are anger, excite
ment, fear warmth. cold and death. In
the full blaze of the summer sun the
chameleon assumes a blackish hue, with
pale. pinkish yellow spots and ventral
stripe.
What quaint, archaic appearance the
chameleon presents. more like the creation
of some monkish sculpture, stone devil
of Notre Dame come to life, or some
survivor from a past geological age. The
toes. in their arrangement of three on
one side and two on the other of each
hand and foot are singularly suggestive
of bird. as is also the manner in which
they grasp the bough upon which the
chameleon is resting or climbing. The
constantly changing facial expressions are
very quaint and laughable. There is al
ways a look of sardonic humor lurking
round the lines of the mouth and is great
y increased by the weird effects produced
by the independently moving eyes; indeed
the little reptile is a champion squinter
Anatomically, there are at least two most
interesting points about the chameleon
First. it is unique among lmbed reptiles
as the possessor of prehensile tail; and
secondly. for the peculiar blind out
growthS of the lungs. which. spreading
through the booy, literally enable the
animal to swell visbly."
Power of Contraction.
Generally speaking. the body of the
chameleon presents very lean and ema-
ciated appearance. and can. by the con-
traction of the muscles lying between
the ribs, become still more attenuated
This contraction generally takes place on
the chameleon observing the approach of
a foe and is accompanied by change
of color to tint closely resembling that