The Grefen Wood-Pecker is the mod common of the genus 
in this country, and may be met with in mod of the woody 
parts of this ifland, where it is readily difcovered by its dif- 
cordant note, and alfo by the noife it makes when perforating 
a tree in queO: of food, which confifts entirely of infeds, their 
eggs, and larvs ; when it difcovers a tree that is decayed, it 
tries with its bill the different fides till by the found it difcovers 
the part that requires the lead labour to perforate, it then 
pecks it with its wedge-fliaped bill until it arrives at the 
unfound part, which feldom fails of affording it a plentiful 
repaft. 
In the flomach of one (from v/hich our figure was coloured) 
we found the chryfalis of the phalsna colTus (the goat moth) 
nearly entire ; Mr. Montague remarks it has frequently been 
obferved to fmell of them ; it alfo feeds on beetles and ants, 
and may often be feen on the ground, infinuating its 
tongue into the crevices of ant-hills, and drawing out the 
infe£ls ; it will fometimes make an aperture in the fide of a 
hill with its bill and feet, and then feeds on the infeds and 
eggs at leifure. 
They ufually lay five or fix eggs in the hollow of a decayed 
tree, at the depth of two feet or more from the entrance ; the 
eggs vary in colour, being in fome inftances nearly white, and 
in others greenifh fpotted with black ; the young run about 
the branches of the tree for a confiderable time before they 
are able to fly. "When flying, their motion is undulating and 
very irregular, proceeding forward by fudden jerks ; they take 
but very fhort flights. 
