. The Americana : a universal reference library, comprising the arts and sciences, literature, history, biography, geography, commerce, etc. of the world . h great rapidity to its former posi-tion. Quite unique among lizards is the pre-hensile tail, which rolls downward in a flat spi-ral and is utilized for clinging to twigs. Serv-ing the same purpose in the arboreal life of theanimal are the almost equally peculiar feet,which have five toes arranged in two opposedsets on both fore and hind feet, but in the for-mer the first, second, and third toes form theinner and the fourth and fifth the ou
. The Americana : a universal reference library, comprising the arts and sciences, literature, history, biography, geography, commerce, etc. of the world . h great rapidity to its former posi-tion. Quite unique among lizards is the pre-hensile tail, which rolls downward in a flat spi-ral and is utilized for clinging to twigs. Serv-ing the same purpose in the arboreal life of theanimal are the almost equally peculiar feet,which have five toes arranged in two opposedsets on both fore and hind feet, but in the for-mer the first, second, and third toes form theinner and the fourth and fifth the outer group;while on the hind feet the first and second areinternal, the remaining three in the opposedouter group. Among internal peculiarities maybe mentioned the lungs, which are produced intoa series of long tubular diverticula, which extendto all parts of the trunk, and by means of whichthe chameleon is enabled to swell up its bodyin the fashion of a toad when angry or threat-ened. But the chameleon is most famous foran attribute which is by no means confined toit, Lnt is common to many lizards and otheranimals. The well-known facility with which. CHAMELEON. CHAMELEON — CHAMINADE it changes its colors is referred to. This isaccomplished at the will of the animal, or resultsfrom the direct influence of external stimuli, bya relatively simple mechanism. The outer por-tion of the skin or epidermis is transparent;beneath this is a layer of cells filled with gran-ules and oil-drops which appear white or yel-low; among and beneath these again are largeirregular chromatophores or cells filled withblack and red pigment granules. These chro-matophores are under the control of the nervoussystem, and have the power, when appropriatelystimulated, of sending out long branching pro-cesses filled with pigment into the spaces betweenand external to the light-colored cells. Whenthis occurs the latter cells are concealed by apigment curtain and the animal appears dark-colored; when, on the
Size: 1300px × 1923px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectencyclo, bookyear1903
