376 A. J. GOLDFARB. 



there occurred a direct diminution with age. In this group belong 

 females 10 and n, and probably female 7. 



It should be recalled that the physiologic condition of any set 

 of eggs was not determined merely by egg size, but by the results 

 of several tests, such as the jelly layer test, the membrane test as 

 well as the cleavage test, etc. By all of these tests, it was clearly . 

 and definitely shown that eggs in good physiologic condition at the 

 time of liberation, increased steadily with age, within the limits 

 shown in Table I., and subsequently diminished in size by a process 

 of fragmentation described in Part III. Eggs in physiologically 



Min. 



Max. 



Age of eggs in hours. 



Physio'ogic good eggs poor bad 



' Fresh ' Moderately aged Very aged 



FIG. i. Extent of morphologic and physiologic change in aging or deteriorating 

 eggs. .4', B, C, D, E, F, represents the change in volume, rate of membrane 

 formation, rate of cleavage, total cleavage (Hipponoe). A, B, C, D, E, F, repre- 

 sents the change in width of fertilization membrane, loss of jelly, total cleavage, 

 etc. .4', B is period of superripening; B, C, D, the period of overripening or 

 deterioration; D, E, F, the period of extreme deterioration or dying of the eggs. 



poor condition at the time of liberation behaved like half-aged eggs, 

 that is, they either enlarged but little, or did not enlarge at all, and 

 subsequently diminished to and below the norm of the species. 1 

 Figure I represents graphically and schematically the change 



1 So constant is the relation between volume and physiologic condition, tha 

 one can predict the one from the other, with remarkable exactness. 



