SUMMARYVariations in the distribution of water in bovine muscles were investigated with histological and chemical analyses. A histological method has been developed to measure the extracellular space. This property, along with water and protein content and pH values, was determined in four muscles from each of four animals. The results indicate that extracellular space varied among the muscles of the animals according to a definite pattern. Among the relations found, extracellular space was positively correlated with the water‐protein ratio, whereas intracellular water content was negatively correlated. The evidence indicates that, in the muscles that characteristically contain a relatively high proportion of water to protein, the additional water is located in extracellular space