THE MEIOTIC PHENOMENA IN BLAPS 95 
as those present in the somatic prophase, precede the prochromo- 
somes and that the process which. I have ventured to call ‘pseudo- 
prophase’ seems to be unique in the history of the germ cells. 
But it is still more interesting when we compare such massive 
bodies with others, somewhat similar, which occur in the early 
prophase of the spermatogonia. In these cells the prophase be- 
gins with the appearance of thick bands of chromatin, of ragged 
outline and segmentated appearance (figs. 8 and 9). Near cells 
with such structure are others which contain nuclei with thin 
threads (fig. 10, a). A comparison of the two conditions com- 
pels us to admit either that the thick bands represent a stage pre- 
ceding the thick threads or that there are two processes by which 
the formation of the prophase chromosomes takes place. 
The last assumption is not supported by any evidence. On the 
contrary, there seems to be some proofs in favor of the first view 
in the conditions described in the spermatogonial prophases of 
Triton by Janssens (’01) and in those of Phrynotettix by Pinney 
(08) and Wenrich (’16). I have failed to find a conclusive proof 
of such facts in Blaps, although conditions observed strongly 
point to it. It is possible that the same phenomena, carried to 
a greater extent, occur in the prochromosomes, for such bodies 
begin as a mass of chromatin granules and end as a tightly 
coiled thread. 
Perhaps the extent to which this internal reorganization of the 
chromosomes is carried may be the cause of the apparently pre- 
cocious synizesis, which also is highly characteristic of Blaps. In 
other animals and plants the synaptic knot is formed after the 
leptotene stage is reached or, at least, when the unraveling of 
the chromosomes is well advanced. On account of the extreme 
delicacy of the leptotene threads, considerable doubts have been 
expressed as to the normal occurrence of such contraction, which 
has been thought by some authors to be an artifact due to the 
action of the reagents. It seems unnecessary to discuss this 
point further, since it has been shown that synizesis also takes 
place in the living cell. Whatever the origin of synizesis may be, 
it is probably based on a definite phenomenon, the nature of 
which we cannot understand at present. It might be well to 
JOURNAL OF MORPHOLOGY, VOL. 34, NO. 1 
