The Rate of Plumping of Uterine Eggs Immersed in an Artificial Uterine Solution

INTRODUCTION IT IS a well known fact that the egg white approximately doubles its weight while the egg is in the uterus. This increase is due to the passage of a uterine secretion through the shell membranes. Beadle, Conrad, and Scott (1938) found that the uterine secretion is not albuminous but is a mineral solution consisting chiefly of sodium, calcium, and potassium, present as chlorides and bicarbonates. The purpose of this investigation was to obtain a measure of the rate at which eggs in different stages of uterine development take up this secretion. METHODS AND MATERIAL The data reported here were obtained from White Leghorn and crossbred (White Leghorn × Rhode Island Red) hens, during January, 1938, and from a second group of White Leghorns during December, 1938. All birds were from the University of Illinois farm flock and were kept in a laying battery. The technic of determining when . . .