The cuticle: A barrier to liquid and particle penetration of the shell of the hen's egg

Abstract

Synopsis The cuticle of the egg shell prevents water‐soluble dyes and carbon black from entering the majority of pores. A small percentage of eggs obtained from a commercial flock had no cuticle and their shells were easily invaded by carbon black. Chemical or physical removal of cuticle resulted in the pores being flooded with water which carried in carbon black. Such eggs did not, however, absorb water at a rate equal to that of eggs from which a piece of shell had been removed. This indicated that the pores without a cap and plug of cuticular material resisted the movement of water. The role of the cuticle and shell in repelling water is discussed and a function akin to that of the plastron of insect eggs proposed.