An Account of a Particular Species of Cameleon: By James Parsons, M. D. F. R. S.Author(s): James ParsonsSource: Philosophical Transactions (1683-1775), Vol. 58 (1768), pp. 192-195Published by: The Royal SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/105777 .

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X SI S. 4 Sccorz of v7artic>1ar Species ° CaXelesn: ty James ParSons, M. D F. R. S.

Rd Jllae I:, ^ M O N G the quadrupeds of the I76(3. _!t earth, the claSs of Cameleons is one

of the mblt curioals fanlilies; inSomuch as to have eng..ed the attention of many natural lziflorians g

ot only on account of the particular Rloudiure of its parts) butalfoof Setteralcuriousphenomenasv}zicll are peculiar to its in its feveral fpecies, in the difl:eren parts of the vrorld.

lDllisaninzal is ranged by autllors under the generca nalne Lacerta} wllich co nsprehends a great variety of all-fizes hom the Crocodile to the fttzalleR Lizard: but as the Canzeleon has its starious Epecies, atld each fucl properties as are not coninlon to any otllers under tlle tribe of Lvcertg, they iladeed deSersre to be regardeci as a particular genas.

IIOWTeVCr} ftnce authors have been very full in their accotlnts of thefe creatures ; wllich every one curioals in eheir erlquiries into the hifiory of animals, ma llave recourSe to, colleEted in an excellent srork in- titled, DiAionozire ralJeofze des Hni>Xaux, 1 fhall ollly entertain the learned Society witll a defcliption of a EpeciesofCameleon wlzichI confideras a non-deScripts having nzade a ca;eful refearch concelning tlais ani- n1a1 amongautlzors) andSeenfieveralkindsof themfi as well as valiolls figures in every hiRory I am ac- quainted with; froul all which the fubjeft before us is vcry diffErente

[ I92 ]

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[ I93 3 It is chiefly in tlle IlltlEture of tlle hca;^l thz.t this

cliffErence apFears, and its fiXlgularity inducetl tilt tO obServe lt *^eith olttentioll; for tlle hca(1 is ocry larg& ill proportion to the reft of t!lis anitnal, a.z(l .s11 othe;s of thc fdme craEs; atld ehe sl^wore Xo, if svc meafilre rfrotll the tsso anterior flat proceQ;es, to ttle polleliorextretnity or proceSs cxf thc crtlzlzaw, whidw meaEures tllree- inclles alld a quarter. tI luis poftcrior procefs extends backwardsa over t'lle neck, tc) tlle fil {t vertical proceE of thq fpinc; and the interior proceQs

<3ne on each fidea projedr torwards ad upsvards itl an oblique direEtion over the na{;ll hole, andw are bluntly ferrated all round; the furf:ace of tlle entile face is covered with tubercles and fcales, whie:h, by being in a dry Itate, have lo(} tlleir protuberallceand lutire, which the fcales ertainly were endowed Wit while the animal was alitre,

The length of the two mandibles is equal, and is tzro inches and a quarter from tlue articulation of the lower with the upper jaw, to t}e apex of each; both being furxliMed wsth a fine it of fmall pointd teeth; all of a fize, and fo Set, that, upon the animal's clo{: ing his mouth, the teeth do nu meet, but thofie of the upper 11 in with thoSe of the under aleernately. tRhere are no molarcs nor canine tecth.

The orbits are extremely large and deep, fo that this Cameleon muI} have had very great eyes, and very globular; fUr they are each more than a third of the whole length of the mandible in diameter.

From a clofe inbeecion of the Ikin, which is now contrafted and dried cloSe to the {keleton,, it appears Scaled all wer; the lager ficales are upon part of the head and upon the fides of the neck; the fmaller, un- der the jawst upon ehe neck, and over the whole

vOL. LYIII. C c Wy

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E t94 ] body; but we can form no idea of its proper colour whilll the animal i. aliveX yet do rtot doubt of lts having had a very beautlful cottering.

AltnoR every fpecies of Lacerta have five fingers upon each extremity, all the Cameleons have them, but they differ in the difpofition of the fingers; this before us has the tarEal, metatarfal, and three bones tO each finge-r, as ie is in l}uman hands: in this Ca- nzeleon the fingers are very long, and terminated with pointed Ilails bending downwards ; three of the fingers of each anterior extremity are inwards in the place of the thumb, and the other two are outsrards; whereas in the poIlerior extremties, three are out- wards, and the other two inwards, having between them fia;ch a large fpace, or divifion, an is betveen the thumb and fingers of nler.

But this diItribution of the fingers I faw ;n one of the triangular-headed (Cameleons: other [pecies have the five fingers together, and very Illort like Rumps; but that deScribed by Pitfield from thg diXedsons of the RoyaI academy, has its fingers difpoSed in the lame manner with this, and is one of thofe with av triangular head and creIt.

The vertical edge of the fpine is Scolloped allulong from the neck to the extremity of the tall, and has on eacll flde a roslv of knobs, c)r procefl:es, as far as the ar ticulation of the thigh with the bone that rt}ns IJp

tosvards the fipine; but fronl thence, wllere the tail begins, there is a fiecond lateral rour of knobs, whic^ continue all along tlle tail.

There dces not appear any paflage into the h<nd fbr hearing, nor any other but tbe mouth an-cl naI;al holes; wllich is a3fo takcn notice of by the Royal

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(S4JJ nvH' M? s+<araonv.s Xaxwsi tj. t76i.

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r T95 ] Acaimy in their obirvations 1lpon that mentioned above. This tnade Bellonius imagine, that theSe r>il holes ferve Cameleons f;or hearing as well as breathing; fo that it {houlsi feem, that more ecies than one are deIlitLste of auditory holes.

This fuyeEt came into lny hands fiQm the owner Mr. Miilan, who was kind enough to leave it with me fbr the purpoSe of laying it befbre the Royal Stiety; w-e have no knowledge of its native placea as he bought it amoug oth-er natural produdions now in his col lgecion

T A iBX VIlt The Srk figure repreSents tbe animal in profile.

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, . ile lsosld ls a vElew ot t ze tace, or upper turtace ot the headv

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