OF VIRGINIA 153 
FAMILY PICIDAZ.—WOODPECKERS. 
GENUS DRYOBATES. 
[393-B]. Dryobates villosus audubont (Swainson). 
Southern Hairy Woodpecker. 
Ranee.—aAustroriparian zone of the South Atlantic 
and Gulf States from southeastern Missouri, southern 
Ilinois, and southern Virginia to southeastern Texas. 
While not quite as common a breeding species as the 
flicker, still they are evenly distributed over the Tidewater 
section, and remain throughout the winter. Dead stubs 
of gum and poplar treetops seem to be their favorite loca- 
tion for a nesting site, varving from 25 to 60 feet up, 
the cavity from eight to twelve inches deep. They are 
one of our earliest breeding birds, the drilling of the nest- 
ing cavity beginning the last week in March, and by 
April 10th to 15th finds a full complement or set of eggs, 
numbering from four to six. Like all the woodpeckers’, 
the eggs are glossy white. Size, .95x.70. They are noisy 
birds when having young, and do not mind _ close 
inspection of their home at that time, but when only eggs 
are in the cavity, it is almost impossible to flush the sitting 
female until within a few feet of the hole. Occasionally 
two broods a season, but not commonly. Some years this 
species is quite numerous, while other seasons they are 
very scarce, these conditions being caused by the food 
supply, I imagine. Their food consists of larve, grubs, 
beetles, ants and spiders, procured from dead wood gener- 
ally. They are considered to be a very beneficial species 
of woodpecker. In the Alleghenian zone a few of the 
northern form (D-villosus) are found above 3,800 feet. 
