AbstractUnfertilized eggs recovered from donor rabbits at known times after injection of HCG were transferred to the oviducts of mated recipients (prevented from ovulating by having their ovaries covered with nail polish) at specific times after mating. When newly ovulated eggs (11.25–13.5 hours after HCG injection) were left in the oviducts of the recipients for 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3 hours, 15, 30, 44, 59 and 75% respectively were penetrated by spermatozoa. If the unfertilized eggs were allowed to age in the oviducts of the donor before transfer then fertilizability decreased: only 41 and 25% of eggs 15–15.5 hours and 17–17.5 hours old at time of transfer respectively were penetrated during 2.5 hours in the recipients' oviducts compared to 59% of 13–13.5 hour eggs. No beneficial effect from maturation in the donor of the unfertilized egg and its membranes was observed. When eggs with cumulus cells removed were transferred to recipients at 9–9.5 hours after mating, then a decrease in the percentage of eggs penetrated during 2.5 hours in the recipients' oviducts was found. Removal of both cumulus and corona cells had no greater effect than removal of cumulus alone. However, when eggs similarly treated were transferred to recipients at 14 hours after mating, neither removal of cumulus nor of cumulus and corona cells had any effect on the percentage of eggs penetrated during 2.5 hours. It is concluded that when conditions for fertilization are not optimal the cumulus is important for ensuring meeting of sperm and egg, but that when conditions are optimal then presence of these cellular layers is not important. Whether the products of ovulation play a role in the final stages of capacitation of sperm was tested by transferring eggs into the oviducts of rabbits unilaterally ovariectomized (more than 3 weeks previously) at 13.5–14.75 hours after mating. No difference in percentage of eggs penetrated was observed between oviducts on the ovariectomized and intact sides. The contact of the sperm with the products of ovulation in the one oviduct did not give them an advantage over the sperm in the other oviduct without such contact. It was found that although only 30% of newly ovulated eggs were penetrated in 1.5 hours following transfer to recipients at 9–9.5 hours after mating, 57 and 66% were penetrated during the same period if the transfers of similar eggs were delayed until 13.75–14.0 hours and 19.5–20.0 hours after mating of recipients respectively. It is suggested that these increases in percentages of eggs penetrated are a reflection of the presence of more sperm or of more fully capacitated sperm in the oviduct at