The study was undertaken on uropygiai glands of 25 adult local domestic ducks. Moderate Schiff reaction due to presence of neutral mucopolysaccharides was observed in basal and intermediate cell layers of both outer and inner zones of secretory tubules while the cells in transitional cell layer were finely granular. Moderate Feulgen reaction was observedin nuclei of basal and intermediate cell layers of both outer and inner zones of secretory tubules. All the epithelial cells in both the zones were rich in lipids. Calcium was abundant in lumen of tubules in both the zones. The alkaline phosphatase activity was moderate in basal and intermediate cell layers and weak in transitional cell layer of outer zone of tubules while it was weak in basal and intermediate cell layers and intense in transitional cell layer of inner zone. Acid phosphatase activity was intense in basal and intermediate cell layers of boththe zones while it was weak in transitional cell layers of boththe zones.
Duck, uropygial gland, histochemistry
