Studies were made on daily changes in O_2 and CO_2 gas diffused through the egg shell at a temperature of 30℃. Fertile and infertile eggs, fresh laid, of White Leghorn were used for the purpose during ten days.
The Principal resurts were as follows ;
(1) Both O_2 consumption and CO_2 production in infertile eggs were more than those in ferti1e ones during a day or two after they were laid. Especially the amount of CO_2 produced from infertile eggs on the 1st day was about 5 times as much as from fertile ones, and it was 5.27cc/day/60g-egg.
(2) From the 2nd or 3rd day on, there was a gradual decrese in the CO_2 output and on the 6th day it decreased to less than 1.0cc/day/60g-egg. The difference in the decrement between fertile and infertile eggs was not appreciable after the 3rd day on.
(3) The decrement of O_2 consumption was most remrkable on the 4th day−the minimum volume during experimental period.
Then a gradual increase was seen both in O_2 consumption and CO_2 production, until, in infertile eggs, they recovered the 1st day volumes on the 9th or 10th day, and, in fertile eggs, on the 7th or 8th day. But in the case of fertire eggs, a second decrease followed for the remaining days.
In short, the changing curve of O_2 consumed in fertile eggs, is represented by the shape 'n', and that of infertile ones by the shape 'v'.
(4) Judging from these types of changing curves, some physical and chemical changes in the egg contents seems to be responsible for these changes, and not the foetal respiration which is due to the growth of the blastdarm.
(5) The fertile eggs which were held at 30℃ for 10 days for the purpose of these experiments seemed to have lost much of their hatchihg power, and the hatchability was reduced to zero.