326 HISTORY OF THE 



The natural home of this species is along the timbered streams 

 and edges of woodlands, often frequenting the orchards and 

 trees about our dwellings, especially during the winter months, 

 though by no means as familiar a bird as the Downy. Their 

 loud, clear, "Cheep," which they often repeat, announces their 

 presence. They also have a strong, shrill, tremulous song or 

 call note, and the usual family habit of drumming upon a dead 

 limb or stub, and the same undulating manner of flight an 

 alternate rising and sinking, caused by closing the wings for an 

 instant, after a few vigorous strokes to give them headway. 



Their food consists chiefly of insects, their eggs and larvae, 

 which they extract from crevices in the bark, and by chipping 

 circular holes through the same for the grub feeding upon the 

 wood and destroying the life of the tree. They occasionally 

 feed upon berries and the meat of nuts, but they are not a fav- 

 orite food, as is the case with the Red-headed. 



Their nesting places are at the bottom of circular holes, which 

 they excavate in the decaying trunks, limbs or cavities in trees, 

 which, in either case, they chip out to suit. The nests are quite 

 a distance below the entrance. The males are dutiful husbands, 

 and share alike the labors of nest making, hatching and rearing 

 of the young. Eggs usually four, .96x.73; pure crystal white; 

 in form, rather spherical. 



Dryobates pubescens (LINN.). 



DOWNY WOODPECKER. 

 PLATE XXII. 



Resident; common. Begin laying the last of April. 



B. 76. R. 361. C. 440. G. 168, 153. U. 394. 



HABITAT. Northern North America; south in the eastern 

 portion to the Gulf coast. 



SP. CHAR. "A miniature of D. mllosus. Above, black, with a white band 

 down the back. Two white stripes on the side of the head, the lower of oppo- 

 site sides always separated behind, the upper sometimes confluent on the nape. 

 Two stripes of black on the side of the head, the lower not running into the 

 forehead. Beneath, white; all the middle and greater coverts and all the quills 

 with white spots (the larger coverts with two series each); tertiaries or inner 

 secondaries all banded with white. Two outer tail feathers white, with two 

 bands of black at end; third white at tip (and externally); crissum sometimes 



