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An Accompt of Some Books.

II. Description Anatomique d’un Cameleon, d’un Castor, d’un Dromedaire, d’un Ours, et d’une Gazelle. A Paris 1669. in 4º.

HE Observations of these Animals dissected were made in the Royall Library at Paris by some of the Ingenious Philosophers there.

Of the Cameleon (which they say was an Egyptian one; they alledging, that there are two other sorts, one of Arabia, and another of Mexico) they chiefly observe: First that its contrary motions of Swelling and Un-swelling are not made as in other animals, dilating and presentaly after contracting their breast for Respiration, in a constant and regular order; since they have seen it swell for the space of above two hours, during which time it would indeed un-swell a little, but almost indiscernibly, and also a little swell againe, but with that difference, that the dilatation was more suddain and more visible, and that by long and unequall intervals; they having also observed it to subside for a long time, and much longer than swell’d.

Secondly, that the grains in the Cameleons-Skin were diversly posited, and of a blewish-gray, when the animall was in the shade moveless, and had not been touched a long while; but that the pawes underneath were white-yelowish, and the space between the graines, of a pale and yellowish red: and that the said gray, colouring him all over when at rest, and remaining on the inside of the skin, when flead, (which seem’d to argue, it was the naturall colour) did, when exposed to the day-light, change in the Sun, so that all the places of its body, struck by that light, took, instead of their blewish gray, a browner gray, approaching to a minim; but the rest of the skin, not shone upon by the Sun, changed its gray into divers brighter colours, which formed Spots half an inch big, of an Isabella-colour, by the mixture of the yellow pale in the graines, and the light brown in the ground of the skin: the other skin, not shone on by the Sun, and remaining of a gray paler then ordinary, being like cloath mixt of wool of divers colours, the ground continuing as before. The Sun ceasing to shine, the first gray return’d by little and little, and being then toucht by one of the company, there appear’d presently many very black spots on his shouldiers and fore-feet, which hapn’d not, when he was handled by those that took care of him. Being wrapp’d in white linnen for 2. or 3. minutes, he was taken out whitish, and having kept this colour a while, it vanisht insensibly: which Experience refutes those, who give out, that the Cameleon takes all colors but white. Having put him on divers things of several colours, and wrapt him up in them, he assumed none of their colors, but the white, neither took he this, but the first time of the trials.

Thirdly, the structure and motion of his Eyes turning two different ways at one and the same time; which yet is not true of the Cameleons of Mexico. Where ’tis observ’d, that the necessity, impos’d by nature on all other animals to move both their Eyes together the same way, is not caused by the conjunction of the Optick nerves, because that also is found in the Cameleon it self.

Fourthly, his way of taking hold of the small branches of Trees, like that of a Parret, who puts two of his claws before and two behind, whereas other Birds alwayew put three before, and one behind.

Fifthly, his having no Spleen; a very little Heart, and exceeding little Brain, in which appeared no mark at all of any sence for Hearing, this animall neither receiving nor giving any sound.

Sixtly, his Tongue being furnisht with and fastned to a long tromp, serving to lanch it out, for the taking of flyes, on which he feeds, and not on Air alone; the Observers having found many flyes in his stomach a[n]d Guts; and taken notice also, that this Cameleon, they discourse of, voided divers stones of the bigness of a pea, which he had not swallowed, but bred in his gutts, seeing one of them, being dissolved in distilled vinegar, inclos’d the head of a fly.

By which Observation it appears, that though Orators have lost those pretty subjects to exercise their Eloquence upon, concerning the Wonders of the food, and of the Change of Colours in Cameleons; yet Philosophers doe now meet with new particulars, touching the motion of his Eyes and Tongue, and the manner of altering his Colour according to his passions, which are no less capable to employ their Witt; as is at large and learnedly deduced by the Authors of these Observations.