The Digital Ark: Early Modern Collections of Curiosities in England and Scotland, 1580-1700
Chameleon [ARK00068]
Attached People: Collector (major) - Bargrave, John (1610-1680)Location(s): Current location at - Canterbury Cathedral Library and Archives (Library and/or Archive) -> Canterbury Cathedral (Institution)
Annotation:[Canterbury Catalog: Dried chameleon, preserved by the ship's surgeon after it perished mid-journey in the colder climate of the Northern hemisphere. Given to Bargrave by the "Moores", peoples of the "Eastern provinces". Bargrave and his fellow travellers were shown how to feed the creature. However, when the flies failed to follow the ship to northern climate the animal perished. "The creature was given me alive in Africa, and it liveth (not by the air, as the report goeth, but) by flies cheifly, by laying... some sugar and sweetmeats which allureth the flies to come to it. So soon as it seeth the flies... it darteth forth that toung at a great distance... pulleth the fly into her mouth, and eateth it; But one way to make it change its colours was to anger it, and put it into a passion. Then it would fetch great breaths, by which it made itself swell very much, and in its swellings out came the colours of all sorts, which changed as it was more or less provoked to anger".] (c1660)