037 



CHAMELEONS. 



CHARACE^:. 



such a way as to appear simultaneously under the cuticle, and some- 

 times in such a manner that the one may hide the other. 



3. That everything remarkable in the changes of colour that 

 manifest themselves in the Chameleon may be explained by the 

 appearance of the pigment of the deeper layer, to an extent more or 

 less considerable, in the midst of the pigment of the superficial layer ; 

 or from its disappearance beneath this layer. 



4. That these displacements of the deeper pigment do in reality 

 occur ; and it is a probable consequence that the chameleon's colour 

 changes during life, and may continue to change even after death. 



5. That there exits a close analogy between the mechanism by 

 the help of which the changes of colour appear to take place in 

 these reptiles, and that which determines the successive appearance 

 and disappearance of coloured spots in the mantles of several of the 

 Cephalopoda. 



This family embrace but the one genus, Chamcfleo. Dr. J. E. 

 Gray places the ChamcEteonidw in the tribe Dendrosaura, of the sub- 

 order Pachyyloasce, of the order Saura, or Lizards. The tribe Dendro- 

 laura embrace only this family, and have the following characters : 

 Scales of the belly, sides, and back, granular. Tongue elongate, 

 sub-cylindrical, worm-like, very extensile. Eyes globular, very mobile, 

 with a small central round opening. Toes equal, united in two 

 opposing groups. 



The species are inhabitants of the Old World, in Africa and Asia, 

 and are naturalised in Southern Europe. 



The following species are described in the ' Catalogue of the 

 Specimens of Lizards in the British Museum : ' 



* Back with an erect fin. Belly crested. 



C. crittatui, the Fringed Chameleon. A native of Fernando Po. 



'* Back high, compressed. Belly and sides with a toothed crest. 



C. laterals, the Side-Crested Chameleon. It is a native of 

 Madagascar. 



"* Back and belly with a toothed crest. Sides simple. 



t Scales equal, email. Muzzle simple. 



C. rulgarit, the Chameleon. It is the C. mutabilit, Meyer; C. 

 cintreut, Aldrovandus ; C. Paritiemit, C. Zeylandiau, and C. Mori- 

 canut, Laurent ; C. carinatut, C. tubcroceut, C. ccdcaratui, Merrem ; 

 C. Zebra, Bory ; Laccrta Chameleon, Linnaeus. It is a native of the 

 East Indies, and the species which is most frequently brought to 

 England. 



Chameleon (Chantccleo tultjaria}. 



C. StnegoUntit, the Senegal Chameleon. It is the Lacerta Chamekon 

 of Linmc'us; C. Bonat Spei of Laurent; L. pumila of Gmelin. It is 

 a native of the West of Africa. 



C. diltpit, the Flap-Necked Chameleon. Found in Africa. Speci- 

 mens in the British Museum have come from Fantee, Ashautee, 

 Gambroon, and Senegal. 



tt Scales unequal, larger tubercles. Muzzle simple. 



C. Pardalu, the Bourbon Chameleon. A native of Bourbon. 



C. verrucorut, the Warty Chameleon. It inhabits Madagascar. 



f-H" Scales unequal. Muzzle (of male) with a central prominence. 



C. Jlhinoceratut, the Rhinoceros-Chameleon. A native of Madagascar. 

 Specimens of this and the last species were presented to the British 

 Museum by Sir Edward Belcher. 



*"* Back with a toothed crest. Belly and sides simple. 



t Chin and muzzle simple. 



C. tuberculifertu, the Tuberculated Chameleon. A native of South 

 Africa. 



C 1 . cucvllatut, the Hooded Chameleon. An inhabitant of Mada- 

 gascar. 



+t Chin simple ; muzzle compressed, produced. 



C. ntuutiu, the Sharp-Nosed Chameleon. A native of Madagascar. 



ttf Chin simple ; muzzle of male forked. 



C. bifurcus, the Large-Naped Chameleon. A native of Madagascar. 



H"rt Chin bearded ; muzzle simple. 



C. Tigrit, the Fringed Chameleon. Found in the Seychelle Islands. 



C. vmtralit, the Uelly-Shaped Chameleon. Found in South Africa. 



C. pvmUui, the Pearled Chameleon. A native of the Cape of Good 

 Hope. 



***** Back and belly not crested. 



C. Parsonii, Parson's Chameleon. A native of Madagascar. 



C. Owenii, the Three-Horned Chameleon. It is a native of Fer- 

 nando Po. 



C. Brookesiamis, Brookes's Chameleon. Locality unknown. Named 

 from a specimen in the Museum of Joshua Brookes. 



CHAMOIS. [AjrritopEJs.] 



CHAMOISITE, a mineral, composed of Silicate of Iron. 



CHAMOMILE. [ANTHEMIS.] 



CHAMP, a valuable kind of timber, produced in the East Indies 

 by Magnolia excelsa. 



CHANDELIER-TREE, a species of Pandanva which grows in 

 Guinea and St. Thomas's, and which, on account of the arrangement 

 of its dichotomous branches, has obtained this name. [PANDANUS.] 



CHAODINEiE, Chaotic Plants, a family invented by Bory, for 

 the purpose of placing a number of the lower forms of plants or 

 organic beings of uncertain character, which could not be placed 

 amongst other well-defined groups of Cryptogamia. To this family 

 were at one time assigned forms of Diatomacete, Desmidece, Kostoc, 

 and others. 



CHARA'CE^, Charas, the Chara Tribe, a curious group of plants 

 inhabiting pools and slow streams, to which they communicate a 

 nauseous offensive odour, which is said to become a pestilential miasma, 

 when, as in the Campagna of Rome, the plants are in great numbers. 

 They are jointed leafless plants, with vertieillate branches, composed 

 either of one or of several tubes adhering in bundles, and either 

 encrusted with calcareous matter (Chara), or transparent (Nitella). 

 The reproductive organs are of two kinds. One named a nucule, is 

 an oval sessile .spirally striated body, with a five-cleft apex, and a 

 number of grains in its interior ; this has been looked upon as the 

 pistil, and has been seen to grow into a young plant. The other, 

 called the globule, is a reddish body consisting of triangular scales, 

 inclosing a mass of elastic wavy threads, and has been named an 

 anther. 



Chara. 



fl, A portion of tubular stem, showing the bases of a whorl of leaves ; b, leaf, 

 bearing the organs of fructification ; c, a single organ of fructification, greatly 

 enlarged ; d, upright section of the fruit ; e, plant germinating. 



The following is Schleiden's description of these organs : " On the 

 lateral branches, generally in the axis of the above-mentioned pair of 

 cells, five cells may be seen spirally wound round a thick mass, and 

 having their parallel extremities surrounded by a kind of pentagonal 

 crown. From this thick granular mass a large cell (spore) is formed, 

 filled with large granules of starch, mucus, and oil-globules, and with 

 a substance that closely invests the spore-cells ; and from being.at 

 first transparent subsequently becomes green or red, and finally black. 

 The five investing cells then either become cartilaginous, and remain 

 until the whole decays after germination, or they are converted into 

 a gelatinous state, and then speedily dissolved after the sporocarp has 



