The Travel and Residence of Spermatozoa in the Oviduct of the Gallus Domesticus

INTRODUCTION THERE is an increasing interest in the rate of travel of spermatozoa along the hen’s oviduct and in their sites of residence. Mimura (1939), after examining the inseminated oviduct microscopically, reported that spermatozoa deposited in the uterus of an empty oviduct reached the infundibulum in 26 minutes. In another paper, Mimura (1941) found that for 2 to 4 hours after intravaginal insemination, spermatozoa had not passed through the uterus. Allen and Grigg (1957), using P32-labeled spermatozoa, reported that 0.07% of spermatozoa inseminated reached the infundibulum in 15 minutes and that 1.3% were found there after 1 hour. Saeki et al. (1963) reported that at 5 hours, 81.5% of the total activity of radioactive spermatozoa was present in the vagina; and at 24 hours, the activity was 23% in the same region. The infundibulum showed 4.8% of the radioactivity at 5 hours; and 58.7% at 24 hours. Residence of spermatozoa…