SummaryNormal sheep and sheep with fistulae of the bile duct or the thoracic duct were used to provide quantitative information on the movement of fatty acids into and out of the intestine. The operation used to gain access to the thoracic duct did not cause any significant alteration in the absorption of either [14C]tripalmitin injected into the rumen or [14C]palmitic acid injected into the duodenum. Normal sheep absorbed the major fatty acids oleic (92'1±1'3%), palmitic (87·3±5·0%), and stearic acids (93' 3± 1· 4%) with almost equal efficiency, and the absorption of labelled tripalmitin injected into the rumen did not alter as the intake of fatty acids increased from 12g/day (90·1±2·3%) to 44g/day (90·1±1·3%).An average of 6 g of fatty acids entered the duodenum each day in the bile, and an approximately equal amount entered from other endogenous sources. The rate of entry of fatty acids in the bile was increased by secretin and by infusion of bile into the intestine. Sheep deprived of bile absorbed 25± 1· 6% of labelled palmitic acid and slightly less of oleic and stearic acids but the transport of absorbed fatty acids in the lymph was negligible in the absence of bile.