Several earlier hypotheses on the origin and consequences of the lymph in the hatching muscle of birds are discussed. It is concluded that the lymph arises within the muscle and that it does not interfere with the contractile and shortening abilities of the muscle. It is postulated that the primary functional significance of the lymph is to transform the hatching muscle into a turgid cushion that serves to brace the head when the egg tooth is pressed against the shell.
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Bock et al. (1969) studied this question.