Abstract
IT has been known for a considerable time1 that avian sperm, while in the oviduct, is capable of survival and of fertilizing ova for periods of up to 3 weeks in the domestic fowl and for longer periods in the turkey. In vitro, its fertilizing capacity is lost within a few hours. Examination of the oviduct of the domestic fowl after insemination has shown that sperm are congregated at two points, the infundibulum and the utero-vaginal junction2,3, the sperm being found in invaginations known as “crypts” or “spermnests”4, where they are apparently also protected from the action of spermicidal agents5.
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HARRISON, D., OFFOR, M., SOO, D. et al. Isolation of Poly α-L-Glutamic Acid from the Oviduct of the Domestic Fowl and a Possible Role in Maintenance of Fertility. Nature 212, 706 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/212706a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/212706a0
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