having a gun with him, tried to get both birds in a line, 

 but being unsuccessful, selected the brighter of the 

 two, its companion being about six yards distant from 

 it ; when he fired, the paler bird flew off in a westerly 

 direction, and was no more seen. The dead bird was 

 taken the next morning to Mr. Lowne for preservation, 

 and, as before stated, he forwarded the skin to me the 

 same evening. The weather being very warm at the 

 time, Mr. Lowne would not risk sending the bird in 

 the flesh, hence it was that I only saw the skin ; but I 

 may mention that it had all the appearance of having 

 been very recently removed, and there were still many 

 living parasites remaining on the feathers. Mr. Lowne 

 tells me that the total length of the bird when in the 

 flesh was eight inches, and its weight 2j oz. Through 

 the liberality of some friends I was enabled to purchase 

 this specimen for the Norwich Museum, and to send 

 this first British example of the Caspian Plover for 

 exhibition at the meeting of the Zoological Society on 

 June 17, 1890. I submitted the parasites before men- 

 tioned to Dr. E. Piaget, who informed me that they 

 were of a new species, for which he proposed the name 

 of Nirmus assimilis." 



I have never met with this species alive ; its home is 

 said to be Western Asia, especially the shores of the 

 Caspian ; I have a specimen, obtained by my brother 

 in Lower Egypt. It has been recorded as having 

 occurred twice in Heligoland, viz. in November 1850 

 and May 1859. 



