348 Mr. Joseph I. S. Whitaker on the 



which it was signalled, the news having been communicated 

 by a telegram from Portoferraio to a leading Roman news- 

 paper, — it would appear from articles published by Prof. 

 Giacomo Damiani in 'Avicula,' and in a local newspaper, 

 that the incursion was noticeable throughout the entire 

 island, commencing early in July and. continuing throughout 

 that month, although constantly and rapidly diminishing in 

 intensity. Prof. Damiani adds that a good many of the 

 birds reappeared about the middle of August, disappearing 

 again shortly afterwards. He further states that it was 

 twenty years since the species had been first observed by him 

 in Elba, and that he had never known anything to equal last 

 year's invasion. 



From Corsica I have received no information on the subject, 

 but there can be little doubt that the invasion extended to 

 that island. 



In Sardinia, according to information received from Sig. 

 P. Bonomi and other correspondents, large numbers of 

 Crossbills were observed in various parts of the island, and 

 particularly in the vicinity of Cagliari, during the summer 

 and autumn, and even as late as the month of October. 



On the island of Capri, from information given me when 

 passing through Naples in July last, I ascertained that con- 

 siderable numbers of the species had been seen during the 

 first fortnight of that month. According to more recent 

 information received by Signorina Picchi, of Florence, the 

 species reappeared on the island of Capri in large numbers 

 in the mouth of August, but did not remain there long, which 

 is not surprising, considering the lack of trees on the island 

 and the persecution which the birds meet with there at the 

 hands of the natives. 



In Sicily the Crossbill invasion was very noticeable in 

 various districts, and more especially in the north-western 

 portion of the island. Although numerically it was perhaps 

 less important than in some more northern countries, there 

 can be no doubt that a very large number of the birds reached 

 this southern latitude, and what is also very noteworthy is 

 that many of the birds continued to be observed in the 



