118 RAYMOND PEARL AND MAYNIE R. CURTIS 
the nitrogen content of the albumen in eggs taken from different 
levels of the oviduct. Not only do these chemical data confirm 
the results obtained from the other lines of evidence, thus demon- 
strating still more thoroughly and conclusively the main point 
under discussion, but they also throw light on certain matters 
which could not be elucidated by other than chemical methods of 
attacking the problem. 
The analytical work on which the data of this section are based 
was performed in the Department of Chemistry of the Maine 
Experiment Station, by Mr. H. H. Hanson, Associate Chemist. 
It is a pleasure to express our obligation to him for coming to the 
aid of the present investigation in this way. 
It should be stated that the nitrogen determinations were made 
by the modified Kjeldahl method, as used by the Association of 
Official Agricultural Chemists. 
The chemical data are exhibited in condensed form in table 2. 
The complete figures for the same eggs are given in table A of the 
Appendix. 
It is evident that the data set forth in table 2 confirm the re- 
sults previously obtained. Thus, to consider first moisture con- 
tent of the albumen, it is seen that the albumen of the normal laid 
egg contains between 87 and 88 per cent of moisture (mean 87,40). 
This value agrees very well with those obtained by Willard and 
Shaw" and Pennington.’ But when the egg enters the uterus 
its albumen has a water content of only about 80 per cent. Or, 
the albumen of the egg at this level of the oviduct has by actual 
weight some 15 grams less water than the laid egg. The longer 
the egg stays in the uterus the ‘thinner’ the albumen becomes 
(cf. hen 387 in the above table), 1.e., the higher its water content. 
This, of course, is the same thing which has been shown above, 
namely, that most of the thin albumen is added in this region. 
The percentage content of the albumen in nitrogen brings out 
again the same point. From a nitrogen eontent of about 4 per 
144 Willard, J. T. and Shaw, R. H., Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station, 
Bulletin 159, pp. 148-177, 1909. 
1 Pennington, M. E., Journal of Biological Chemistry, vol. 7, pp. 109-132, 1910. 
