Studies in Reptilian Colour Changes

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Abstract
Melanophore contraction is not effected through a direct nervous agency, nor are the adrenal glands normally necessary to mediate the light state. The concentrated state of melanophore pigment is ordinarily due to the disappearance of the melanophore-dispersing hormone from the circulation. The rapid onset of pallor which follows electrical stimulation may be due to a vasoconstrictor effect. Intact skin in hypophysectomized lizards does not respond directly to light, but isolated skin darkens slightly in bright sunlight and becomes bright green again in diffuse light. Isolated skin responds to hormones, becoming generally dark in solutions of pituitary extract and showing the mottling reaction in solutions of adrenalin.