C H A 
C H A 
above the eyes, the cheeks, the throat, and the 
fore-part of" the neck, are red ; the fides and belly are 
v.'hite, tinged with red ; the upper part of the back 
is of a deep tawny colour; and the lower part, to- 
gether with the rump, are green. The coverts on 
the ridge of the wing are black and grey; the baf- 
tard-wing and the firit greater coverts are black; 
and the refi: are tipped with v/hite. The quill- 
fea«-herr, are black; their exterior fides are edged 
with pale yellow; and their inner and outer webs are 
v/hite on the lower part. The tail is black, except 
the exterior feather, which is marked obliquely v/ith 
a white line from top to bottom; and the legs are 
The colours of the female are very dull, and flie is 
entirely defritute of the beautiful red which is found 
on the breaft of tiie male. The head, and the up- 
per part of the body, are of a dirty green; the bel- 
ly and breaft are of a dirty white; but the v/ings and 
tail are marked like thofe of tire male. 
As ChaEinches are naturally very hardy, they 
may be taken from their nefts when about ten days 
old, and brought up with facility; and, during the 
months of June and July, the young, Pi iglit may be 
eafily caught in nets near the watering places they 
frequent. Some bird- finders cruelly deprive thefe 
inoiTenfive animals of their fight, by thrufting 
red-hot v/lres into their eyes; but this barbarous 
praftice, whatever purpcfe it may anfwer, is furely 
difgracefiil to hum.anity. 
CHA[ .CHUS. A Grecian name for the fifli 
ufually called the doree. It feems to have obtained 
both narnes from it's colour; the one from the v/ord 
ChaldioSjBrafs ; and the other from Doree, Gilded. 
CIiALCTDICA. A fpecies of ferpent fo called 
f om the refemblance of it's colour to the chalce- 
dony. It's bice is fucceeded by a pellucid tumour, 
v.'ith a fliining blacknefs at the margin. According 
to Paulus TEgincta, it cures it's own venom, drank 
in wine. It is fometimcs called feps. 
CHALCIS. A name given by fome authors to 
the pilchard; and called by others celerinus and 
apua m.embras. 
CH ALCOMUI A. A fpecies of fly wliofe wings 
have the effulgence of polifhed brafs. It is an in- 
feft of the carnivorous kind, and feeds on other 
Pies, beetle?, and even dead ferpents: wlie.nce it has 
been alfo called by fome ophioborus ; and, by others, 
hciycii's. 
CH AMA. A genus of large bivalve fhells ; the 
charafters of which are thefe: they are commonly 
fniooth, though in fome places a little rugofe; and, 
in a few fpecies, there are numerous fpincs. The 
valves of the fhell are equal, elate, and convex; and 
the mouth gapes, as in the oyfter. 
The inclofed animals have all of them a hot 
pungenttafte, and infiame the mouth to a very great 
degree. From this circumftance the French have 
given them the name of flames and flammets; and, 
in fome provinces of their country, they are called 
iavignons and pelourdes. 
The ancients engraved a diverfity of figures on 
the various fpecies of this fhell; and, conformably 
to tlieir fancv, they could give the diftind parts of 
the imprinted fi gure the colours of the fevcral coats 
of tl ie fliell bv die depth of the incifion: thus they 
could impart to human flefli it's natural white; and 
to die drefs a blue or yellow tinge, according to 
the nature of the fpecies of Chama on which the 
worlc was performed. Several of thefe antique 
works areftill extant; and probably this was the frrtl 
ln\'en'cion of that fort of engraved gem called camea. 
CH A-MELEI A. An appelladon given by fome 
naturalifts to a peciiliar fpecies of chama ; but ge- 
nerally applicable to fuch of them as have fmooth 
furfaces, of which there are a great number, 
CHAMOIS . An animal of the goat kind, known 
among naturalifts by the name of rupicapra. It 
has flender, black, upright horns, hooked at their 
extremities, and behind each there is a large orifice 
in the fi<:in, fuppofed by fome for the purpofe of re- 
fpiration; but there is not the fiiialleft foundation 
for this opinion, as it is well known that there is no 
perforation through thefl<;ul], nor are there any du£ts 
difcoverable from thefe orifices. The forehead is 
brown ; the cheeks, chin, and throat, are white; the 
belly is yellowifli; and the reft of the body is of a 
deep brown colour. The hair is long; the tail is 
fliort; and the hoofs are much divided like thofe of 
the reft of the goat kind. 
This animal inhabits the Alps of Dauphine, 
Switzerland, and Italy; the Pyraenean mountains; 
the mountains of Caucafus and Taurus; and the 
countries of Greece and Crete. It generally feeds 
before die fun rifes, and after it fets ; and during the 
winter conceals itfelf in the clefts of rocks, ino rder 
to avoid the, falls of the Avelenches. At that fea- 
fon it fubfifts either on the tender twigs of trees, or 
on the roots of plants or herbs, for which it digs 
tinder the fnow. Thefe creatures are equally timid 
and vigilant : each herd has it's leader, which ftands 
as centinel on fome eminence v/hile the reft are 
colle£ling their food; and, on the firft difcovery of 
an enemy, it alarms the whole troop by a kind of 
hifs, who inftantly feek protedtion in flight. 
Thele animals have very piercing eyes, and their 
fenfes of hearing and fmeliing are exceedingly quick 
and ftrong. They are alfo excefTively Avift and 
aftive; and the purfuit of them is a very laborious 
employment, as they can only be overcome by fur- 
prize. They are hunted principally for their fl<ins; 
and their fiefti is by no means defpicable food. In 
their ftomachs there is often found a hairy ball, 
covered with a hard cruft of an oblong form. They 
live to a great age; and bring forth tvvo, and ibme- 
times three, at a time. 
CH'ANCERONS. The French name of a 
fmall caterpillar which deftroys an iinmenfe quan- 
tity of corn in their granaries. The butterfly which 
produces this noxious infefl has white wings mark- 
ed with black fpots. The caterpillar, v/hen firft 
hatched, is one of the fmalleft with which naturalifts 
are acquainted. Itfpins avaftnumber of finethreads 
as foon as emancipated from the egg, by which 
it attaches itfelf to whatever objects are moft conti- 
guous. Towards the end of fummer, thefe cater- 
pillars quit the corn, and mount up the walls of 
the granaries, in order to fearch for proper retreats; 
v/hich when they have found, they enter, cover their 
whole bodies with webs of filk of their own Ipin- 
ning, and in due time afTume their aurelia form. In 
tliis ftate they remain the whole winter, feemingly 
without either life or motion ; but, in the months of 
April and May, the buttei^^ are hatched from 
them ; and the males and fei^JIs then coupling to- 
gether, the latter immediately lay their eggs, and 
thus give rife to a new progeny, which, during the 
ftimmer fcafon, confume the corn under the forni 
of caterpillars. The female protrudes a kind of 
tube from her tail, by means of which flie forces 
her way into the grain, and lodges her egg, which 
in the ipace of fifteen or fixteen days is hatched into 
a caterpillar; and no fooner does it afTume this 
form, than it begins to devour the corn with the 
utmoft 
