eyes is, that this animal often moves 'ore when the other is entirely at reft; nay, fometimes one eye will seem to look directly forward and the other backward, and one will look up to the fky when the other regards the earth. The trunk of the body comprehends the thorax and the belly, but is almoft all thorax, with little or no belly. The 4 feet are all of equal length; but those before are turned backwards, and those behind forwards. There are 5 toes on each paw, which have a greater refemblance to hands than feet. They are all divided into two, which gives the appearance of two hands to each arm, and two feet to each leg; and though one of thefe parts have three toes, and the other but two, yet they seem to be all of the fame fize." Thefe toes lie to gether under the fame fkin as in a mitten; how ever, their shape may be seen through the skin. With thefe paws the chameleon can lay hold of the fmall branches of trees like a parrot. When he is about to perch, he parts his toes differently from birds, because he puts two behind and two before. The claws are little, crooked, very sharp, and of a pale yellow, proceeding but half way out of the skin, while the other half is hid beneath it. His walk is flower than that of a tortoife, and he feems to move along with an affectation of gravity. He feems to feek for a proper place to fet his feet upon; and when he climbs up trees, he does not truft to his feet like a squirrel, but endeavours to find out clefts in the bark, that he may get a furer hold. His tail is like that of a viper when it is puffed up and round; at other times the bones may be feen in the fame manner as on the back. He always wraps his tail round the branches of trees, and it ferves him inftead of a 5th hand. He is a native of Africa and Afia. Mr Haffelquift is of opinion, that the change of colour in the chamæleon is owing to its being exceedingly fubject to the jaundice, which particularly happens either when it is exposed to the fun or when it is made angry. The mixture of the bile with its blood is then very perceptible, and, as the skin is tranfparent, makes it fpotted with green and yellow. He never faw it coloured with red, blue, or purple; and does not believe that ever it affumes these colours.

11. LACERTA CROCODYLUS, the crocodile, has a compreffed jagged tail, 5 toes on the fore, and 4 on the hind feet. This is the largest animal of the genus. One that was diffected at Siam, an account of which was fent to the Royal Academy at Paris, was 184 feet long, of which the tail was no lefs than 5 feet, and the head and neck above 24. He was 4 feet 9 inches in circumference where thickeft. The hinder legs, including the thigh and the paw, were 2 feet 2 inches long; the paws from the joint to the extremity of the longeft claws, were above 9 inches. They were divided into 4 toes; of which 3 were armed with large claws, the longeft of which was an inch and a half, and 7 lines broad at the root. The 4th toe was without a nail, and of a conical figure; but was covered with a thick skin like thagreen leather. These toes were united with membranes like thofe of ducks, but much thicker. The fore legs had the fame parts and conformation as the arms of a man, but were fomewhat shorter than

those behind. The hands had s fingers, the two laft of which had no nails, and were of a conical figure, like the 4th toe on the hind paws. The head was long, and had a little rifing at the top; but the reft was flat, especially towards the extremity of the jaws, It was covered with a fkin, which adhered firmly to the skull and jaws. The fkull was rough and unequal in several places; and about the middle of the forehead there were two bony crefts, about 2 inches high.. They were not quite parallel, but feparated from each other in proportion as they mounted upwards. The eye was very fmall in proportion to the rest of the body; and fo placed within its orbit, that the outward part, when shut, was only a little above an inch in length, and run parallel to the opening of the jaws. The nofe was placed in the middle of the upper jaw, swear an inch from its extremity, and was perfectly round and flat, being two inches in diameter, of a black, foft, fpongy fubftance, like the nose of a dog. The form of the noftrils was fomewhat like the Greek ; and there were two caruncles which filled and clofed them very exactly, and which opened as often as he breathed through the nofe. The jaws feemed to fhut one within another by means of feveral apophyfes, which proceeded from above downwards, and from below upwards, there being cavities in the oppofite jaw to receive them. They had 27 dogteeth in the upper jaw and is in the lower, with feveral void fpaces between them. They were thick at the bottom, and fharp at the point; being all of different fizes, except ten large hooked ones, 6 of which were in the lower jaw, and 4 in the upper. The mouth was 15 inches long, and 8 broad where broadeft; and the distance of the two jaws, when opened as wide as possible, was 15 inches and a half. The skull, between the two crefts, was proof against a musket ball, for it only rendered the part a little white that it ftruck againft. The colour of the body was dark brown on the upper part, and whitish citron below, with large fpots of both colours on the fides. From the thoulders to the extremity of the tail he was covered with large fquare scales, difpofed like pa→ rallel girdles, 52 in number; but thofe near the tail were not fo thick, as the reft. In the middle of each girdle were 4 protuberances, which be came higher as they approached the end of the tail, and compofed 4 rows; of which the two in the middle were lower than the other two, form ing three channels, which grew deeper the near er they came to the tail, and were confounded with each other about two feet from its extremi ty. The fkin was defended by a fort of armour, which, however, was not proof against a musketball, contrary to what has been commonly faid However, the attitude in which it was placed might contribute thereto; for probably, if the ball had ftruck obliquely against the shell, it would have flown off. Belides, allowance must be made for the animal being dead. The parts of the gir dles under the belly were whitish, and made up of scales of divers shapes. They were about one 6th of an inch thick, and not fo hard as thofe on the back. Some crocodiles have measured 25 feet in length. They have no tongue, but in place of it a membrane, attached by its edges to the two fides Aaaaa

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