106 RAYMOND PEARL AND WILLIAM FREEMAN SCHOPPE 



27, 23.5 and 21 grams: The last six weighed 14, 12.7, 12, 8, 

 3.5, and 2 grams, and seemed to constitute a series which coin- 

 cided closely with weights taken of the larger oocytes in hens. 



Theoretically, the number of discharged follicles and the total 

 number of eggs laid should agree. Actually, this condition is 

 never absolutely realized in the counts. In some cases it will 

 be found that the count of follicles is greater than the total eggs 

 laid. This can be accounted for in four ways: a) the bird may 

 have laid while still on the range or before she was put in the 

 laying house; b) eggs may have been laid on the floor before the 

 birds became accustomed to using the nests; c) some of the yolks 

 may have missed the oviduct, being deposited in the body cavity, 

 and eventually absorbed; d) in some cases pieces of projecting 

 connective tissue may have been mistaken for a follicle in making 

 the counts. In other cases it will be seen that the eggs laid 

 exceeded the number of follicles found. This is directly due to 

 not being able to distinguish the follicles after they had become 

 nearly or completely absorbed. 



In addition to the thirty-five counts listed in table 1, the oo- 

 cytes of one other Fi cross-bred bird were counted on a somewhat 

 different plan. The ovary presented an extraordinary discrete- 

 ness of separation of even minute oocytes. In this case a low- 

 power dissecting lens was used in the counting, and all oocytes 

 were enumerated which could be counted with the aid of the lens. 

 The results were as follows: 



Case No. 36 

 Lens aided count 



Fi crossbred 

 Hatched April 21, 1911 

 Killed June 14, 1912 

 Total eggs laid = 69 

 Winter production = 46 

 Discharged follicles = 29 

 Oocytes > 1 cm. = 2 

 Oocytes 1 mm. to 1 cm. = 80 

 Oocytes < 1 mm. = 13,365 

 Total oocytes = 13,476 



