104 RAYMOND PEARL AND MAYNIE R. CURTIS 
Autopsy No. 369. Hen No. 1154. March 19, 1910 
Egg in the lower end of the albumen portion of the oviduct 
just at the point of entering the isthmus. This egg had no mem- 
brane. The yolk was surrounded by albumen layers A, B, and 
C. No trace of the outer thin albumen (layer D) was to be found. 
All these cases agree in showing that the egg does not receive the 
outer layer of thin fluid albumen (layer D) during its sojourn in 
the so-called albumen secreting portion of the oviduct. While but 
five specific autopsy records are cited here it is only fair to say 
that this result is confirmed by all our experience with eggs in 
the albumen secreting portion of the oviduct. This experience 
covers many more than the five cases given here. These cases are 
chosen as particularly significant, however, because in them we 
have definite quantitative records of the exact location of the egg 
in the albumen portion. The successive autopsy records show 
that beginning with an egg 11 cm. away in front of the isthmus 
and going downwards in the duct until the actual boundary of 
the isthmus is reached, there is no qualitative change in the albu- 
men secretion. Whatever albumen is added to the egg imme- 
diately prior to the formation of the shell membrane, is of the 
dense fibrous variety (layer C), so far as direct observation indi- 
cates. The fact that there is no thin albumen on the egg when 
it enters the isthmus is shown in fig. 2. In this figure A shows an 
ege of hen No. 8018 which was removed from the upper part of 
the isthmus. The thin membrane which had been formed was 
removed; the egg placed in a Petri dish and photographed. For 
comparison a normal laid egg from hen 8018 was broken into a 
Petri dish in the same way. Its photograph is shown in fig. 2, B. 
It is at once apparent that there is a great difference between the 
two eggs in respect to amount and consistency of albumen. In 
the egg which had just left the albumen portion of the oviduct 
(egg A) the albumen is of firm consistency and retains its shape, 
forming a compact mass about the yolk. In the laid egg (egg B) 
the albumen is much thinner, and does not hold its shape, but 
flows out over the bottom of the dish. 
