Skull of the grey heron (Ardea cinerea): Detailed investigation of the orbital region.

The skull of the grey heron (Ardea cinerea) was examined with an emphasis on describing the orbital region. In the young (circa sixteen to seventeen days old) heron, the frontal bone (os frontale) and nasal bone (os nasale) comprised separate paired bones, connected by sutures (sutura interfrontalis, sutura internasalis and sutura frontonasalis plana). In adult animals, the relationship between these bones was different: the left and right frontal bone and the left and right nasal bone had grown together, and the frontal bone and nasal bone had fused into a common frontonasal bone (os frontonasale). In the ectethmoid bone (os ectethmoidale), the main components comprised of the orbital and antorbital part of the ectethmoid plate (lamina ectethmoidalis orbitalis et antorbitalis), the lateral process (processus lateralis ectethmoidalis) and the tubercle (tuberculum ectethmoidalis); the left and right ectethmoid plates were fused together to form the ectethmoid sinus (sinus ectethmoidalis) between them. In the young heron, the anatomical and functional link between the frontal and lacrimal bones did not exist yet, nor did the osseous frame of the ectethmoid-lacrimal complex. Further research into the young heron skulls is needed. This article provides novel insights into the grey heron's orbital region.

Vimentin- and desmin-positive cells in the moulting budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) skin.

The distribution of vimentin- and desmin-positive cells in the budgerigar (Melopsittacus undulatus) dermis was investigated by means of immunohistochemical reactivity with the commercially available (Euro-Diagnostics) polyclonal antibodies. The staining pattern for vimentin in the paraffin sections was generally comparable to that in other animal species with regard to endothelial cells, vascular wall cells, muscle cells and fibroblasts. The modified Schwann cells in the inner core of the Herbst corpuscles reacted distinctly with anti-vimentin and anti-desmin. Some connective tissue cells in the superficial dermal layer, in the feather papilla and along the pulp core inside of the regenerating feathers were particularly well stained with anti-vimentin. Fibroblast-like cells of the regenerating feathers, particularly at the base of the pulp, also reacted strongly with anti-desmin. The findings were discussed with regard to references.