350 



Raymond Pearl 



3 The progressive change in the dimensions of these eggs is in 

 each case gradual, but not absolutely steady. Instead there are 

 fluctuations up and down in each of the characters studied. 

 These fluctuations appear from mere inspection of Table I to be 

 distributed in a random manner. It will be shown in the next 

 section of the paper that this is in fact the case. 



4 No egg after the first shows the pyriform shape due to a 

 concavity of the lateral contour of the egg. The eggs laid after 

 the first are simply elongate ovate in form. 



5 After the first I2 eggs had been laid the form of the egg was 

 (barring random fluctuations) very close to the normal. The 

 further progressive change towards the normal was exceedingly 

 gradual. 



With regard to the absolute size of these eggs it may be said that 

 they were all noticeably smaller than the average for the breed. 

 The weight of the first egg laid was 37.9 grams. This was the 

 lightest egg ever laid by hen No. 183 so far as is known. The 

 weights of the first 12 eggs laid are shown in Table II. 



TABLE II 

 Weight oj the Eggs oj Hen No. 183 



From this table it will be seen that the second and succeeding 

 eggs were distinctly heavier than the first egg laid. After the sec- 

 ond egg was laid there was no definite change in the weight of the 

 eggs. All the changes that occurred in weight after that time 

 were the chance up and down fluctuations about an average point. 

 There was no definite tendency for the eggs to become heavier 

 or lighter as more were laid. Consequently after some 50 had 



