40 



CHRYSOCOLLA CHRYSOMELID.E. 



very large, pointed, and crooked, and serves them for 

 digging their way rapidly under ground ; the hind 

 feet have five claws on each, which are of moderate 

 size. Their habits are similar to those of the common 

 mole ; but their organisation is very different. The 

 clavicle is much more slender than in the mole, while 

 the first rib is on the contrary much thicker and very 

 long. The blade bone is also large, arid the humerus 

 is nearly three times the length of that of the mole. 

 The fore arm is also supported by an additional bone. 

 Indeed there is no animal in which the shoulder is 

 better articulated for powerful motion than in this 

 genus, small as are the animals. There is but one 

 species which is well established, the golden mole 

 of Southern Africa (C. Capensis), but this one has 

 occasioned no small trouble to those naturalists who 

 make colour a principal character, and describe 

 animals from museum sepcimens. 



This species is a very small animal, considerably 

 less than the common mole of Europe ; in consequence 

 of its subterraneous habits it is not very frequently 

 seen ; and in respect of colour it is as perplexing as 

 the cameleon. We believe that the real colour, that 

 is the colour as seen in light which is not refracted, 

 is brown ; but, different from all other mammalia, 

 this small animal has the same metallic reflections in 

 its fur which are observable in the feathers of many 

 birds, the range of these colours being from a deep 

 golden yellow, or rather a sort of bronze red, to a 

 bronze green ; and as all animals which have the 

 metallic reflections lose them when dead and dried, 

 the stuffed skin of this one conveys no idea of what 

 the living animal is like. Hence it has been described 

 as if of different colours and has been attributed to 

 different parts of the world, as to America and Siberia. 

 There are many districts of these parts of the world 

 which are still very imperfectly known, and the habits 

 of those small burrowing mammalia render it very 

 difficult to ascertain what are their numbers ; and 

 therefore the subject is one upon which mistakes are 

 unavoidable, as there may be many species in those 

 unexplored countries of which no individual has been 

 seen. This animal has no apparent tail, no external 

 concha to its ears, and no visible eyes, until they are 

 forced open by direct experiment. Its snout is formed 

 with a movcable citrtilaginous rim, and by means of 

 this and its powerful fore-paws it gets along the 

 ground with considerable celerity. In Southern Africa 

 it is nearly as troublesome in rooting up gardens with 

 its subterranean passages as the common mole is with 

 us. Its time and manner of breeding, and its general 

 habits, farther than that it is a dweller in the earth, 

 are little known ; but it is ascertained that the female 

 has two mammae situated in the groin. 



This species has sometimes been confounded with 

 those animals which are properly styled rat-moles on 

 account of their having the habits of moles, at least 

 in so far as burrowing is concerned, while they are 

 rodent or gnawing animals in their general structure. 

 Those which have this compound character may be 

 considered as in so far omnivorous, eating indiscrimi- 

 nately small animals and succulent vegetable matter, 

 whereas the cheek teeth of this genus are wholly or 

 chiefly of an insectivorous character ; and therefore 

 it only disfigures those grounds in which it makes its 

 runs, and does not eat the fibres of vegetable roots. 

 Though a small and obscure animal, this is remark- 

 able for its beauty, if it were possible to preserve that 

 beautv iu the dried skin. Its colours have already 



been mentioned, and we may add that the texture of 

 its fur is more delicately soft, and also more beautiful 

 in its lustre than that of the mole. It is worthy of 

 remark, that these small burrowing animals are neither 

 soiled by mud nor readily wetted bv water. 



CHRYSOCOLLA. A genus of molluscs esta- 

 blished by De Montfort, but united with the genus 

 Polystome/la, of which it forms one of the divisions. 



CHRYSOCOMA (Linnaeus). A genus of yellow 

 flowering shrubs from the Cape of Good Hope, and 

 herbs, natives of Europe and North America. These 

 plants are the goldylocks of our gardens, and belong 

 to the natural order Composites, propagated by cuttings 

 and division of the root. 



CHRYSOLITE. This mineral is characterised 

 by its pistachio green colour. It is brought to Europe 

 from the Levant, and is said to occur in upper Egypt, 

 on the shores of the Red Sea, and in the Isle of 

 Bourbon. The chrysolite has a considerable degree 

 of lustre and transparency ; but it is one of the 

 softest of the precious stones, hence jewels of it be- 

 come dull on the surface, if the slightest attrition be 

 employed. 



CHRYSOMELID^ (Leach). A very extensive 

 family of coleopterous 'insects, belonging to the sec- 

 tion Tetramera, and sub-section Cyclica of Latreille, 

 which latter group is almost identical with the Lin- 

 naean genus Chrysomela, but which, from the amazing 

 number of additions made thereto since the days of 

 the great Swede, it has been considered necessary to 

 separate into three divisions, namely, the Galerucicke 

 (Galerucitte, Latreille); Ckrysomelidce (Chrysomel'mes, 

 Latreille); and CassuHdee (Cassidarice, Latreille. See 

 CASSIDA). These groups are conjointly characterised 

 by having the body of a small or but moderate size, 

 and of an oval or rounded form, being seldom elon- 

 gated. The antennae are seldom so long as the body, 

 and filiform or gradually thickened towards the tips ; 

 the thorax is sometimes as wide behind as the base 

 of the elytra ; the three basal joints of the tarsi are 

 dilated and spongy beneath, forming a kind of 

 cushion; the legs are of a moderate length, but 

 rather thickened, especially in the part termed the 

 femur or thigh, which in the hind legs is sometimes 

 greatly incrassated, as in the turnip beetles (Halticce) 

 and some others. Generally speaking, these insects 

 are of sluggish habits, frequenting plants and vege- 

 tables, upon the leaves of which they feed both in 

 the perfect and larva state ; being during the latter 

 period of their lives of a soft fleshy consistence, with 

 six legs, and emitting a viscid secretion, which 

 serves to affix them to the objects upon which they 

 are placed. It is here also they are transformed into 

 pupie, the posterior part of the body being affixed to 

 the leaves, &c., and surrounded by the cast skin of 

 the larva. In both these preparatory stages, the 

 body of the insect is ornamented with various colours, 

 and in the perfect state we find nearly the whole 

 group distinguished by their highly polished and 

 metallic tints, whence the origin of their name, which 

 signifies golden beetles. When disturbed, they im- 

 mediately fall to the ground, folding their legs and 

 antennae along the sides of the body. It is, however, 

 in tropical climates, where vegetation reaches its 

 greatest luxuriance, that these herbivorous insects 

 abound; and to so great an extent, that from the 

 state of our collections, we should feel inclined to 

 average the Linnaean chrysomelae at, at least, one- 

 eighth of the whole order of beetles. 



