Two series of experiments are described: in one, the hatching of half and whole cysts is compared, in some cases after they have been subjected to tryptic digestion; in the second series, the hatching of free eggs is considered.Total emergence from halved cysts was very much greater than that from intact cysts. Emergence from trypsin‐treated halved cysts was greater than emergence from control halved cysts, suggesting that the enzyme affects the egg shell or the larva inside; it is possible, however, that the enzyme also affects the cyst wall, for treated whole cysts shrink more rapidly and to a greater extent when exposed to air.Total emergence from trypsin‐treated whole cysts did not differ significantly from that of untreated whole cysts, unlike previous findings (Ellenby, 1946 a); however, emergence began sooner from these cysts. Halving the cysts also resulted in earlier emergence, the biggest effect being produced by a combination of both trypsin and subsequent halving.The variability shown by the intact cysts was considerably greater than that shown by the halved cysts; halving the cysts reduced the coefficient of variation from 0·55 for whole untreated cysts, to 0·19 for untreated halved cysts, and to 0·13 for trypsin‐treated halved cysts. Apparently some of the variability in emergence, like the limitation of total emergence, is bound up with the nature of the cyst as a more or less closed system.In two experiments the hatching of eggs freed from half‐cysts was compared with that of eggs in their fellow intact halves. In one experiment there was no difference; in the other it was possible to show that a higher proportion of free eggs hatched. Evidently factors limiting hatching may operate among eggs in a mass, even though they are no longer completely enclosed