The number of basal bodies in a ciliary row of Tetrahymena pyriformis decreases as the number of ciliary rows increases so as to maintain an approximately constant total number of basal bodies per cell. This observation, previously established for syngen 1, is here extended to 21 additional strains representing the other 11 established syngens. Strains do differ with respect to the total number of basal bodies maintained and perhaps in the precision with which they maintain that number, but these differences occur both within and between syngens. The relative numbers of basal bodies in particular ciliary rows are remarkably constant among strains examined.