Great Invasion of Crossbills in 1909. 347 
and states that they always came from the south-east and 
proceeded in a north-westerly direction. 
Signor Coll, of the University of Rome, also alludes to the 
great abundance of Crossbills on the Adriatic coast, and 
notably in the neighbourhood of Tronto and Ascoli-Piceno 
in the Marche. According to information received by him, 
the species was first observed in those districts early in June, 
and continued in evidence there until the end of August, 
after which date it was not often seen, although it did not 
entirely disappear until October. 
During the period that the birds remained in these localities 
they tock up their quarters in some pine-woods, where they 
congregated in large flocks of from 300 to 400 individuals, 
sallying forth daily to drink at the water-courses made by the 
country folk for the purpose of irrigation. 
Throughout the province of Latium and the Roman 
Campagna, as well as in the immediate vicinity of Rome 
itself, Crossbills appear to have been frequently observed 
during the summer months. 
From the more southern provinces of the peninsula 
reports regarding the recent invasion have been few and far 
between, but, from personal inquiry, I have ascertained that 
considerable numbers of Crossbills were observed in the 
neighbourhood of Naples during the early summer, and it 
is presumable that the same will have been the case generally 
throughout the country still further south. 
Around Bari, on the Apulian coast, the species is reported 
as having been extraordinarily abundant on the 12th of July, 
and it is also stated as having been numerous at Polignano 
and Triggiano on the same coast. 
In Calabria it is also reported as having occurred 
abundantly, and particularly in the neighbourhood of 
Cotrone, Catanzaro, and Reggio during the months of July 
and August. 
Coming now to the Italian islands, and commencing 
with Elba, as having been the first in which the Crossbill 
invasion of last year was observed—-or, at any rate, from 
