NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 263 



393a. NORTHEBN HAIRY WOODPECKER. Dryobates villosus leucomelas 

 Bodd. Geog. Dlst.— Northern North America, south to about the northern border of 

 the United States. 



The general habits, nesting and eggs are exact counterparts of those of D. 

 villosus. 



8936. SOUTHERIT HAIRY WOODPECKER. Dryobates villosus audubonii 

 (Swains.) Geog. Dist. — South Atlantic and Gulf States, north to North Carolina and 

 Tennessee, west to Louisiana and Southern Texas. 



The general habits, food, nesting and eggs of this geographical race are identical 

 With those of D. villosus. 



393c. HARRIS'S WOODPECKER. Dryobates villosus harrisii (Aud.) Geog. 

 Dist. — Pacific coast of North America from northern California to Southern Alaska. 



Harris's Woodpecker is exactly like D.villosus, except that it has fewer wing 

 spots; the coverts and tertials are plain black, the lower parts are usually white, fre- 

 quently pure white, rarely smoky-gray. In the mountainous regions of the West 

 coast this bird is quit© common, inhabiting all kinds of forests, especially those of 

 the pine regions. Its nesting and eggs are indistinguishable from those of D. 

 villosus. 



393d. CABANIS'S WOODPECKER. Dryobates villosus hyloseopus (Cab.) 

 Geog. Dist. — Western United States, except northwest coast, and south into Mexico. 



The general habits of this race are all characteristic of those of the Hairy 

 Woodpecker of Eastern United States. Four eggs taken in Socorro county, New 

 Mexico, exhibit the following sizes: .95x.67, .98x.69, .96x.70, .gTx.tO. They 

 are glossy-white. These were taken May 5, 1887, from a hole in an oak tree forty 

 feet from the ground. In all respects the nesting and eggs are similar to those of D. 

 villosus. 



394. SOUTHERIT DOWNY WOODPECKER. Dryobates pubescens (Linn.) 

 Geog. Dlst. — South Atlantic and Gulf States, from South Carolina to Florida and 

 Texas. 



A careful study of the Downy Woodpecker made by Mr. Harry C. Oberholser 

 has resulted in separating this bird into three geographical races, the present foi;m 

 as the true Dryobates pubescens (Linn.), the bird of the middle region; Dryobates 

 pubescens medianus (Swains.), and that of Alaska and northern British America, 

 Dryobates pubescens nelsonii Oberholser. (Cf. Brewster, Auk, January, 1897, pp. 80-82.) 

 All of these races have habits and characteristics generally alike. They are. all 

 commonly called Little or Lesser "Sapsuckers," but these are misnomers and terms 

 which can only be applied with any propriety to woodpeckers of the genus 

 Sphyrapicus. They are perhaps the most social of all our Woodpeckers, and the best 

 known. They seem to enjoy the company of other birds, especially nuthatches, tit- 

 mice and wrens, In whose society they are generally found, searching the branches 

 of low trees or saplings, the hedges, the brush heaps and fences for insects and their 

 larvffi. It is fond of drumming on the stub of a dead limb whose center is hollow, 

 and whose shell is hard and resonant. Upon such places it will drum for an hour at 

 a time, now and then stopping to listen for a response from Its mate or of some rival. 

 At all times unsuspicious of man, and when engaged in excavating the cavity for the 

 nest continue the busy chiseling, unheeding his near approach. The nest is exca- 

 vated in the trunk of a small dead tree, often in the dead limb of an apple tree, in a 

 post or rail of a fence, seldom more than twenty feet from the ground, usually be- 

 tween ten and fifteen feet. The eggs are four or five, rarely six; they are pure 



