Electron microscopy of synaptonemal complexes in three Gallus domesticus cockerels that were heterokaryotypic for a pericentric inversion in chromosome 2 revealed a low incidence of homologous pairing and a high incidence of nonhomologous pairing. The significance of these results are related to the finding that heterokaryotypic parents have fertility rates that are normal or above normal and produce only balanced gametes. One cockerel apparently had both normal cells and cells with a heteromorphic bivalent 2 in its germ line.