SNAKES. 205 
which is more or less compressed, and covered with small smooth 
scales ; and a prehensile tail more or less short. 
The Pale-headed Tree Boa (£picrates angulifer) lives very well 
in confinement, but unfortunately it is rather rare in this country. 
It may sometimes, however, be bought at a reasonable price from 
the dealers in this kind of animal. It has bred while in captivity, 
and has also produced hybrids between itself and the Yellow 
Jamaica Boa (Chilabothrus ‘nornatus). The hybrids were born 
in the Zoological Gardens, London, on 30th August, 1876, and 
on 9th September, 1879. In the former case the parents were 
a female EL. angulifer and male C. ¢nornatus ; and in the latter, a 
male LZ. angulifer and a female C. nornatus. 
In speaking of these hybrids, Mr. Boulenger, in his ‘‘ Catalogue 
of Snakes ”’ (1893), says that “they do not differ from Lpicrates 
striatus, and as I entertain doubts concerning the correct deter- 
mination of the parents (which I have not been able to trace) I 
feel justified in referring them to this species.”’ 
These crosses are referred to in the “ Proceedings of the 
Zoological Society ” for 1878, page 789, to which, however, I 
have not at present access, but Miss Hopley, in her book on 
“Snakes,”’ said that “‘in recording the event the Secretary to 
the Zoological Society, P. Lutley Sclater, Esq., Ph.D., F.R.S., 
etc., writes that there can be no question as to the pairing of 
these two Snakes, both in the same cage, as there was no male 
Epicrates in the collection. Three were alive, and six bad eggs 
were produced.” 
The Pale-headed Tree Boa does not grow to any great size, 
alength of 7ft. being probably its limit. As all Snakes of the 
genus Lpicrates. are distinguished by the great length of their 
teeth in the front parts of their jaws, a bite from this animal and 
all its near relatives should be avoided as far as possible. 
The Epicrates angulifer possesses a head distinct from the 
neck, and covered with shields, “ the largest,’ according to Mr. 
Boulenger, ‘being a pair of prv-frontals, a pair of frontals 
(which may be broken up), and, on each side, a supra-ocular; a 
large, elongate loreal (a shield immediately above the labials, 
and between the nasals and the anterior ocular), sometimes 
divided into two, separated from the labials by a series of smal] 
