C H R 
their six legs in walking, i hose of many other 
kinds using only four of them: Those chry- 
salises which are terminated by two angular 
bodies, and which are covered with a great 
number of spines, and have the figure of a 
human face on their back in the greatest per- 
fection, afford butterflies of the day-kind; 
and of that class the characters of which are, 
their walking on four legs, and using the 
other two, that is, the anterior part, in the 
manner of arms or hands. I'he chrysalises 
which have two angular bodies on their 
heads, but shorter than those of the preced- 
ing, and whose back shews but a faint 
sketch of tiie human face, and which have 
fewer spines, and those less sharp, always 
turn to that sort of butterfly the upper wings 
of which are divided into segments, one of 
which is so long as to represent a tail, and 
whose under ngs are folded over the up- 
per part of : he ick. A careful observation 
will establi. 1 many more rules of this kind, 
which are not ; perfect as to be free from 
ail exceptions ; yet are of great use, as they 
teach us in general what sort of fly we are 
to expect from the chrysalis, of which we 
know not the caterpillar, and therefore can 
only' judge from appearances. These are 
the principal differences of the angular chry- 
salises ; the round ones also have their dif- 
ferent marks not less regular than those. 
The greater number of the round chrysa- 
lises have the hinder part of their body of the 
figure of a cone; but the upper end, which 
ought to be its circular plane base, is usually- 
bent and rounded into a sort of knee; this is 
usually called the head of the chrysalis ; but 
there are also some of this kind, the head of 
which is terminated by a nearly plane sur- 
face : some of the creeping ten-legged cater- 
pillars give chrysalises of this kind, which 
have each of them two eminences that seem 
to bring them towards the angular kind. 
Among the angular chrysalises there are 
some whose colours seem as worthy our ob- 
servation as the shapes of the others. Many 
of them appear superbly clothed in gold. 
These elegant species have obtained the 
name of chrysalis and aurelia, which are de- 
rived from Greek and Latin words, signifying 
gold; and from these all other bodies of the 
same kind have been called by the same 
names, though less, or not at a If, entitled to 
them. Some are all over of an elegant green, 
as is the chrysalis of the fennel caterpillar ; 
others of an elegant yellow ; and some of a 
bright greenish tinge, variegated with 4 spots 
of a shining black ; we have a* very beautiful 
instance of this kind in the chrysalis of the 
-cabbage-caterpillar. The general colour of 
the chrysalis of the common butterflies, how- 
ever, is brown. 
The several species of insects, as a fly, spi- 
der, and an ant, do not differ more evident- 
ly from one another in regard to appearance, 
than do a caterpillar, its chrysalis, and a but- 
terfly produced from it ; yet it is certain, 
that these are all the product of the same in- 
dividual egg; and nothing. is more certain, 
than that the creature which was for a while 
a caterpillar, is, after a certain time, a chry- 
salis, and then a butterfly. These great 
changes produced in so sudden a manner, 
• seem like the metamorphoses recorded in 
the tables of the antients ; and indeed it is 
not improbable that those fables first took 
-their origin from such changes. 
VOL. I. 
C H R 
The parts being distinguishable in the chry- 
salis, we easily find the difference of the 
species of the fly that is to proceed from it. 
The naked eye shews whether it is one of 
those that have, or those that have not, a 
trunk ; and the assistance of a microscope 
shews the antennae so distinctly, that we are 
able to discern whether it belongs to the day 
or night class; and often to what genus, if 
not the very species : nay, in the plumose 
horned kinds, we may see, by the antennae, 
whether a male or female phalaena is to be 
produced from the chrysalis ; the horns of 
the female being in this state evidently nar- 
rower, and appearing less elevated above the 
common surface of the body, than those of 
the male. All these parts of the chrysalis, 
however, though seen very distinctly, are 
laid close to one another, and seem to form 
only one mass ; each of them is covered 
with its own peculiar membrane in this state, 
and all are surrounded together by a com- 
mon one ; and it is only through these that 
we see them ; or rather we see on these the 
figures of ail the parts moulded within, and 
therefore it requires attention to distinguish 
them. The chrysalis is soft when first pro- 
duced, and is wetted on the front with a vis- 
cous liquor ; its skin, though very tender at 
first, dries and hardens by degrees : but this 
viscous liquor, which surrounds the wings, 
legs, &c. hardens almost immediately ; and 
in consequence fastens all those limbs, &c. 
into a mass, which were before loose from 
one another: this liquor, as it hardens, loses 
its transparency, and becomes brown ; so 
that it is only while it is yet moist that these 
parts are to be seen distinct. 
It is evident from the whole, that the chry- 
salis is no other than a butterfly, the parts of 
which are hidden under certain membranes 
which fasten them together ; and, when the 
limbs are arrived at their due strength, they 
become able to break through these mem- 
branes, and expand and arrange themselves 
in their proper order. T he first metamor- 
phosis, therefore, differs in nothing from the 
second, except that the butterfly comes from 
the body of the caterpillar in a weak state, 
with limbs unable to perform their offices, 
whereas it comes from the chrysalis perfect. 
Mr. Reaumur, in his History of Insects, 
vol. 1. has given many curious particulars on 
the structure and uses of the several cover- 
ings that attend the varieties of the cater- 
pillar kind in this state. These creatures in 
general remain wholly immoveable, and seem 
to have no business in it but a patient at- 
tendance on the time when they are to be- 
come butterflies ; and this is a change that 
can happen to them, only as their parts, be- 
fore extremely soft and weak, are capable 
of hardening and becoming firm by degrees, 
by the transpiration of that abundant humi- 
dity which before kept them soft ; and this is 
proved by an experiment of Mr. Reaumur, 
who, inclosing some chrysalises in a glass 
tube, found, after some time, a small quan- 
tity of water at the bottom of it ; which could 
have come there no other way, but from the 
body of the inclosed animal. This transpira- 
tion depends greatly on the temperature of 
the air ; it is increased by heat, and dimi- 
nished by cold ; but it has also its peculiari 
ties in regard to the several species of but- 
terfly to which the chrysalis belongs. 
( According to these observations, the time 
Z z 
CHR m 
of the duration of the animal in the chrysalis 
statemust.be, in different species, very dif- 
ferent; and there is indeed this wide differ- 
ence in the extremes, that some species re- 
main only eight days in this state, and others 
eight months, 
CHR Y SIS, or gold-fly, a genus of insects 
belonging to the hymenoptera order. The 
mouth is armed with jaws, but lias no pro- 
boscis ; the antennae are filiform, bent, and 
consist of 12 articulations. The abdomen is 
arched, with a scale on each side ; the anus 
is dentated, and armed with a sting ; the 
wings lie plain, and the body appears as if 
gilt. There are seven species, of which the 
lucidula is one : it is beautified with the most 
splendid colours. I'he fore part of the head 
is green and gold, and the hinder of a bright 
azure. The thorax is azure and green : the 
abdomen is green and gold before, and of a 
coppery red behind. This species lives in 
holes of walls. The larvie, which resemble 
those of the wasp, likewise inhabit the holes 
of decayed walls, See Plate Nat. Hist, 
fig. 120. 
CHRYSITRIX, in botany: a genus of 
the dioecia order, in the poly gamia class of 
plants. In the hermaphrodite, the glume is 
two-valved, the corolla; from chaff numerous 
and bristly ; many stamina, one within each 
chaff; one pistilium. The male is the her- 
maphrodite; it lias no pistilium. There is 
one species, a native of the Cape, 
CHRYSOBALANUS, cocoa plum: a 
genus of the monogynia order, in the ico- 
sandria class of plants ; and in the natural 
method ranking under the 36th order, po- 
macese. The calyx is quinquefid, the petals 
five ; plum kernel five-furrowed and five- 
valved. There is only one species, the chry- 
sobalanus icaco, a native of the Bahama isl- 
ands and many other parts of America, hut 
commonly grows near the sea. It rises with 
a shrubby stalk eight or nine feet high. The 
flowers are white, and are succeeded by 
plumsilike damsons ; some blue, some red, and 
others yellow. The stone is shaped like a 
pear, and has live longitudinal furrows. The 
plums have a sweet luscious taste ; and are 
brought to the tables of the inhabitants by 
whom they are much esteemed. 
CM RY’SOCOMA, goldy -locks : a ge- 
nus of the polygamia asqualis order, in the 
syngenesia class of plants ; and in the na- 
tural method ranking under the 49th order, 
composite. The receptacle is naked; the 
pappus simple ; the calyx hemispherical and 
imbricated; the sty le hardly longer than the 
florets. There are thirteen species, the’ most' 
remarkable of which are the linosyris and 
the cernua. These are herbaceous flower- 
ing perennials, growing from one to two feet 
high, ornamented with narrow leaves, and 
compound floscular flowers of a yellow co- 
lour. 
CHRYSOGONUM, a genus of the poly- 
gamia necessaria order, in the syngenesia 
class of plants ; and in the natural method 
ranking under the 49th order, composite. 
The receptacle is paleaceous ; the pappus 
monophyllous, and tridenteds the calvx pen- 
taphyllous ; the seeds wrapped up each in a 
tetraphyllous calyculus, or little cup. There 
is one species, a native of Virginia. 
CHRYSOLITE, in natural history, a gem 
which the antients knew under the name of 
the topaz ; and the true chrysolite of the an- 
