In September 1989, a meeting was held at Needham Hall, The University of Manchester, England, entitled ‘Physical Influences on Embryonic Development in Birds and Reptiles’. The philosophy behind this meeting was to bring together scientists who specialised in the incubation and physiology of avian embryos with those workers interested in reptilian eggs and embryos. Leading authorities within many fields of incubation, oology and embryology were invited to give a presentation reviewing current knowledge within their sphere of research. The idea was to stimulate interest and collaboration between avian and reptilian researchers who may not have had any significant contact previously and to systematically compare and contrast events in birds and reptiles: a task never before attempted due in part to the paucity of reptilian data until the rapid expansion in knowledge of the past five years. Each speaker was also requested to produce a written review which forms the basis of this volume. This book is not a set of conference proceedings. Rather, it aims to be a comprehensive review of relevant reptilian and avian embryonic data: a text designed as a reference guide for the next few years.

The book aims to review incubation and embryology in birds and different kinds of reptiles and covers three major areas: the first deals with the chemical components and structure of eggs; the second examines the effects of the four main determinants of incubation, temperature, water relations, respiratory gas exchange and turning, upon embryonic development together with reviews of the evolutionary significance of incubation parameters.