DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4719#0269
" " ' :-'-^
IgtOibooto;
.. . :•■ :< :-.
ttrtmlkS/ii:
■dinMiirijKmi
I m i:' y.''-
mfmhat,M.
m the eicessrtc
jnnmentetl^^
iirtrch of a ckss'
^n in idditJ'
ANTIOCHEIA.
247
indicating its being the mercantile town. The sun shone
brightly, and its warmth made the banks by the wayside in-
teresting to the naturalist. The early spring flowers were
just bursting, and I added the crocus, hyacinth, heart's-ease
and many others to my collection. Among the fresh green
weeds basked a small chameleon; we watched it, and han-
dled it in its green retreat. The peculiarities of this little
creature were novel to some of our party. I therefore took
it in my hand, to show them the revolving motion of the
eye ; its colour was then a bright yellow-green; gradually
it burst out in blotches of grey, giving a dull appearance to
the whole body. I then placed it on the dark-coloured earth,
and in a few seconds its colour was entirely grey, the remain-
ing yellow spots becoming gradually indistinct. On the grass
it soon recovered its primitive hue, and we left it crawling
clumsily among the weeds on the sunnv bank. A few steps
further, one of the beautiful green lizards lay basking, but its
quick eye saw us, and with the nervous rapidity so peculiar to
it, it sheltered itself among the dead reeds. I was surprised
to see a frog also enjoying the sun, avoiding the water, and
sitting on the sandy bank: its colour is of the lightest and
brightest green, and it is of a kind I have never seen in
Europe. The cimex, and many others of the insect tribe,
are adding their happiness to the joys of the season. The
birds were not numerous; several varieties of hawks were
sailing abont or hovering over their prey; and the favoured
storks were flying with sticks to add to their last year's nests,
which had remained undisturbed on the chimneys, mosques,
or baths of their protector the Turk.
Yehnej'ah, March 6th.—It was eleven o'clock this morning
before we could get horses, which has caused us to halt here
after a ride of six hours. The direct distance is not more
than eighteen or twenty miles, but we have gone out of our
way to visit the ruins of what is thought to be the ancient
Antiocheia; its situation upon an isolated rock, rising in the
IgtOibooto;
.. . :•■ :< :-.
ttrtmlkS/ii:
■dinMiirijKmi
I m i:' y.''-
mfmhat,M.
m the eicessrtc
jnnmentetl^^
iirtrch of a ckss'
^n in idditJ'
ANTIOCHEIA.
247
indicating its being the mercantile town. The sun shone
brightly, and its warmth made the banks by the wayside in-
teresting to the naturalist. The early spring flowers were
just bursting, and I added the crocus, hyacinth, heart's-ease
and many others to my collection. Among the fresh green
weeds basked a small chameleon; we watched it, and han-
dled it in its green retreat. The peculiarities of this little
creature were novel to some of our party. I therefore took
it in my hand, to show them the revolving motion of the
eye ; its colour was then a bright yellow-green; gradually
it burst out in blotches of grey, giving a dull appearance to
the whole body. I then placed it on the dark-coloured earth,
and in a few seconds its colour was entirely grey, the remain-
ing yellow spots becoming gradually indistinct. On the grass
it soon recovered its primitive hue, and we left it crawling
clumsily among the weeds on the sunnv bank. A few steps
further, one of the beautiful green lizards lay basking, but its
quick eye saw us, and with the nervous rapidity so peculiar to
it, it sheltered itself among the dead reeds. I was surprised
to see a frog also enjoying the sun, avoiding the water, and
sitting on the sandy bank: its colour is of the lightest and
brightest green, and it is of a kind I have never seen in
Europe. The cimex, and many others of the insect tribe,
are adding their happiness to the joys of the season. The
birds were not numerous; several varieties of hawks were
sailing abont or hovering over their prey; and the favoured
storks were flying with sticks to add to their last year's nests,
which had remained undisturbed on the chimneys, mosques,
or baths of their protector the Turk.
Yehnej'ah, March 6th.—It was eleven o'clock this morning
before we could get horses, which has caused us to halt here
after a ride of six hours. The direct distance is not more
than eighteen or twenty miles, but we have gone out of our
way to visit the ruins of what is thought to be the ancient
Antiocheia; its situation upon an isolated rock, rising in the