RIKER: CHONDRIOMES IN CHARA 145 
have been cut off, (d) unorganized portions of the spireme, or (e) 
chromatic material apart from and not included in the spireme. 
These possibilities are considered in order. 
(a) If the original granules which first appear in the anaphase 
were delayed chromosomes, they would be considerably larger in 
size and greater in volume and would more nearly resemble the 
characteristic sausage shape of the chromosomes. ‘Then, too, 
they would join the other chromosomes at the poles before the 
daughter nuclei were so nearly formed. 
(b) Should they be chromosomes (in spite of their differences 
in size, shape and volume) which never go to the poles, there 
would be a progressive reduction in the number of chromosomes in 
the younger cells. Such, however, is not the case. Eight counts 
in different parts of the growing tip all gave sixteen as the constant 
chromosome number. 
(c) They are not likely to be cut off portions of chromosomes, 
because in this event, the chromosomes in the cells which had 
undergone division a number of times would probably show a 
progressive diminution in size. According to Boveri (2) and 
Hegner (9) such diminution occurs in Ascaris and Miastor, where 
portions of the chromosomes are cut off at the time when somatic 
and germ cells are differentiated. In these cases the workers have 
shown that there is nuclear degeneration attendant on the speciali- 
zation of the cells. However, nothing of this kind occurs in 
Chara. A careful comparison of the purely vegetative cells and 
those that might produce gametes, following the morphology 
according to Goebel, showed that there was no difference in the 
comparative size or number of the chromosomes or in the number 
of chondriomes produced. 
(d) Unorganized portions of the spireme might form a few such 
prochondriomes. But there could not be so many unorganized 
portions as there are prochondriomes in the anaphase and still 
leave enough material for the full number of chromosomes which 
are formed. 
ORIGIN OF THE PROCHONDRIOMES 
(e) There is only one possibility of the origin of these prochon- 
driomes which is not confronted with very serious objections. 
Since they probably are not chromosomes or portions of chromo- 
