748 Digdy .— The Somatic , Premeiotic , and 
chromosomes in .Galtonia, but his ( 31 ) (1905) and Miyake’s (21) interpreta¬ 
tion of the parallelisms in the heterotype prophases is very different. They 
hold that the chromatin in the reticulum of the early heterotype prophase 
becomes concentrated into masses, ‘ gamosomes which correspond in 
number to the somatic chromosomes. The ‘gamosomes’ before, and 
during, synapsis pair to form ‘ zygosomes ’. From each ‘ zygosome’ arises 
a pair of threads, the ‘ gamomites ’. The ‘gamomites’ join and become 
‘ zygomites ’. The ‘ zygomite ’ splits into its two component ‘ gamomites ’, 
each ‘ gamomite ’ being a univalent chromosome. In this investigation the 
‘ zygosomes ’ have been interpreted as the concentrations of the longitudinal 
halves of the somatic chromosomes. Moreover no conclusion could be 
drawn as to the constancy in number of these concentrations. They appear 
to be quite irregular in form and in arrangement. Mottier ( 22 ) has found 
no correlation between the chromatic aggregations and the unreduced 
number of chromosomes. 
Nearly all cytologists agree as to the presence of parallel threads and 
linin masses in somatic prophases. Strasburger ( 30 , 32 ) (1904, 1907) has 
described them in the somatic cells of Galtonia and in roots. 
Gregoire ( 9 ) (1906) has shown that in the telophases of the roots the 
chromosomes become alveolized ; that the two sides of each chromosome 
separate widely and cross one another, forming a rough network ; that when 
the nucleus enters upon the prophase, and the chromosomes have to be 
reconstituted, the network is transformed into ‘ bandes alveolo-reticulees 
ou spongieuses which are identical with those of the telophase ; and 
that finally by concentration the bands become transformed into definite 
chromosomes. 
Farmer and Moore ( 4 ) (1905) have figured and described parallelisms in 
the somatic cells of Periplaneta. ‘ At first the cells which are preparing for 
division present an almost even granulation of the chromatin within their 
nuclei, and this in its consistency strongly suggests a foam structure of the 
ordinary type ; but after a time the “ chromatic confusion ”, as it were, sorts 
itself out into obvious condensations or cloudy areas, and it is apparently 
unquestionable that each of these primitive chromatic clouds is individually 
the forerunner of one of the future chromosomes.’ 
Many writers go a step further and believe that each of these con¬ 
densations represent a somatic chromosome, and hence call them ‘ pro¬ 
chromosomes \ Rosenberg ( 27 ) (1909) has found in Nuphar luteum , 
Heliantkus peploides , and several other plants, that prochromosomes are 
present in the resting somatic cells in the somatic chromosome number. 
Overton ( 23 , 24 ) (1905 and 1909) has stated that in the somatic cells 
of Thalictrum purpurascens there are forty-eight paired prochromosomes, 
and in the young pollen mother-cells there are twenty-four. 
Sufficient evidence has been quoted to show that there are generally 
