The absorption of water occurs one third of the way through embryonic development both in the cricket, Velarifictorus micado (SAUSSURE) which has egg diapause and its sibling species, V. sp. which has nymphal diapause. Less water was absorbed by diapause eggs of V. micado than by nondiapause eggs of V. sp. Anoxia by CO₂ at different embryonic stages showed stage-specific requirements of oxygen for water absorption; the earlier the anoxia was imposed, the later the water absorption occurred. The absorption of water is probably controlled by genotype but not by the chorional structure or cytoplasmic maternal factor, since frozen and thawed eggs of V. sp. lost weight more rapidly than those of V. micado and those of their hybrid lost water at an intermediate rate between the two.