Abstract
The structure of the crystalline portion of the avian egg shell is described, as revealed by the electron microscopy of surface replicas. This structure differs from the microcrystalline configuration generally found in substances of biological origin. The shell consists, namely, of very large dendrites or spherulitic crystals of calcite, closely packed together. Their transverse fracture surface exhibits an interesting, crystallographically controlled cleavage pattern, very similar to that found in certain metal alloys. This cleavage pattern points to a distinct orientation of the crystals with one of their crystallographic directions parallel to the surfae of the shell. At the inside of the main portion of the shell, small, randomly oriented microcrystals of calcite occur, forming the protruding knobs of the so-called mammilla layer.
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