16 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



size of these specimens from Panama and Baja Califor- 

 nian birds corresponds with that of the specimens prev- 

 iously taken by me from the Kansas birds, and is fully 

 one-third greater than that recorded for the European 

 specimens. The American specimens are at least 

 varietally distinct from the typical Old World forms. 

 There are variations manifest among the American 

 specimens but I have not enough material yet to 

 attempt to distinguish varieties. 



Nirmus splendidus n. sp. (Plate II, figs. 3 and 6). 



Males, females and young from a Caracara, Polyborus 

 cheriivay (Baja California). Species of Docojihorus, Li- 

 peurus, Menopon, and Col^Mcephalwni have been taken 

 from Polyborus by the European authors, but heretofore 

 no Nirmus. The new species is unlike any of the 

 Nirmi yet described from raptorial birds. It is large 

 and strikingly marked. 



Description of the male. Body, length 2.19 mm., 

 width .84 mm.; large, broad-bodied, whitish with prom- 

 inent lateral transverse brown abdominal blotches; 

 head and thorax almost entirely colored. 



Head, length .62 mm., width .6 mm.; forehead broad 

 between trabeculse and narrowly parabolic in front; 

 forehead with four short separated hairs on each side; 

 trabecules rather large for Ni7'mus, antennae short; eye 

 large, prominent, with a long hair, and with a fine 

 prickle just behind it; temporal margins flatly convex, 

 with two very long hairs; occipital margin straight; 

 whole head strongly colored with exception of a pale, 

 broad, clypeal, sutural line, and a short median longi- 

 tudinal line leading from it backwards to the mandibles; 

 the antennal bands narrow, and a little darker than 



