154 THE BIRDS 
[394]. Dryobates pubescens pubescens (Linneus). 
Southern Downy Woodpecker. 
Ranece.—aAustroriparian zone of South Atlantic and 
Gulf States from southeastern Virginia to eastern Texas. 
This little woodpecker, the smallest of the family, is 
rather a rare breeding bird with us, possibly because their 
favorite haunts, old apple trees, are not abundant through- 
out Tidewater. When a suitable locality is found, though, 
we find him a very sociable little fellow, more so than 
any of the balance of the family. A natural cavity in a 
live tree is generally selected from five to fifteen feet up, 
the eggs deposited on a few chips from borings inside. 
Three to five eggs are laid, glossy white. Size, .75x.60. 
They remain throughout the winter, securing the greater 
part of their food from the hardwood trees. Fresh eggs 
April 10th to 25th; one brood a season. As they are 
seen mostly when in orchards, many attribute the borings 
in the bark of the trees to these birds, these borings or 
holes often resulting in much injury to the tree. This 
is a mistake, however, for this injurious work is done by 
another of the family, the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 
(Sphyrapicus varius varius), during the fall and spring 
migrations and winter months, as it does not breed in 
Tidewater. On account of the scarcity of old orchards in 
this section, the birds select hard dead stubs of the poplar, 
dogwood, maple, and oak trees, often forty feet above 
ground. The cavity is most neatly executed, selected 
just under some overhanging limb or knot, thus affording 
protection from the water running down from above. 
The bottom of the cavity is from eight to twelve inches 
below the entrance. They are noisy birds after the young 
are hatched, and their abode is then easily located. They 
