Six classes of neutral lipids, i.e. triacylglycerol (TG), free fatty a
cids (FFA), monoester waves (MW), free-and esterified sterols (FST and
SE), and squalene (SQ) were identified by thin layer chromatography o
f the lipid materials extracted separately from the secretion as well
as from the isolated whole glands present in the skin of the floor of
the external ear canal of the domestic fowl. Secretory lipids containe
d considerable proportions of MW fractions (17.03%), TG (22.23%), and
SQ (14.66%), while TG was the major component (41.10%) in the lipids f
rom the isolated glands. Polar lipids, which comprised about 16-20% of
total glandular lipids, were shown to be composed primarily of sphing
omyelin.