AbstractChimeric hydra were constructed from ectoderm of one strain and endoderm of a morphologically different strain. Body size and budding rate were assayed in three pairs of ectoderm/endoderm chimeras, which were chosen on the basis of their differences in size and budding rates. Reciprocal chimeras of one parental pair were the same size as their endodermal parent, while chimeras of another pair were closer to the ectodermal parents in size. Chimeras of the third pair were similar to one another in size, and intermediate in size between the parental strains. The budding rates of the three reciprocal pairs were similar to their ectodermal parents. This suggests that ectoderm exerts more influence than endoderm on budding rate, while both ectoderm and endoderm are capable of influencing the size of a hydra. The morphology of these three pairs of reciprocal chimeras and of a fourth pair of chimeras constructed from normalH. attenuataand a mutant strain which produces multiple basal discs were compared to the parental morphologies. Both ectoderm and endoderm contribute to the morphology of the chimeric strains.