[The role of the adrenal gland in sex determination of the duck embryo].

In duck embryos, a study was made of the role the suprarenal glands might play in the process of sex determination. The experiments included the transplantation of suprarenal gland taken from embryos aged from 9 to 25 days, into the coelomic cavity of embryos ranging from 71 to 139 hours of age. Out of a total of 388 transplantations, 222 succeeded in the sense that the hosts reached the age, at which the gonads have sexually differentiated. The results show that the implantation of a suprarenal gland does not influence the sex-ratio. Moreover, no disturbances in the development of the gonads were observed. Hence, the conclusion may be drawn that it is highly improbable that the suprarenal gland plays an essential role in the production of substances guiding the differentiation of the gonadal primordia into ovaries or testes.