The eye is a vital sense organ under neuro endocrine regulation in order to allow sight in the bird. It responds to light stimulus and photoperiodicity of the environment of the birds, where they are reared. The effects of photo stimulation are mediated via the various components of the eye. The physiologic roles of avian eyes have been under-utilised in poultry management to enhance production and consequently, economic efficiency of the birds. Regulatory mechanisms of avian eyes’ function, response of components to photo stimulation and utilisation of photoperiod to enhance production in poultry have been reviewed. In conclusion, avian eyes respond to light stimulation and photoperiod, and these responses may be utilised for commercial poultry production in terms of eggs and meat, as well as for improving the welfare of the birds.

This paper presents some new observations concerning the construction of the Sutton Hoo helmet, as a point of entry to a wider discussion of pre-Christian religious and ideological links across Scandinavia. It will be argued that in certain circumstances and locations, such as the firelit interior of the hall, the wearer of the helmet was seen as both war leader and war god, a literal personification of Odin. This interpretation is supported and extended with a variety of Scandinavian finds from the sixth to tenth centuries, and arguably represents an unusually physical manifestation of the ritual border-crossing between human and divine elites. In the socio-political context of early medieval kingdoms, the dramatic imagery of the helmets and related military equipment had a critical role to play in the communication of power, the origin of military prowess, and the religious allegiance of a warlord.

A new component of the Early Palaeozoic arthropod fauna is described from a monospecific accumulate of carapaces in a Late Ordovician (Katian) hemipelagic mudstone from the Cardigan district of southwest Wales (UK). Its non-biomineralized carapace is preserved as a carbonaceous residue, as is more labile anatomy (soft-parts) including the inner lamella and sub-ovate structures near its antero-dorsal margin, which we interpret to be putative eyes. The depositional context and associated fauna indicate that the arthropods inhabited an area of deep water and high primary productivity above a pronounced submarine topography. The preserved density of carapaces suggests the arthropods may have congregated into shoals or been transported post-mortem into depressions which acted as detritus traps. The accumulate provides a rare example of soft-part preservation in hemipelagic mudstones and highlights the role of organic material as a locus for authigenic mineralization during metamorphism.

This Panel Session consisted of three country reports (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; Sri Lanka; and Timor-Leste) and the common issues identified during the Panel discussions relative to industrial accidents and conflicts in the Southeast Asia Region. Important issues identified included the needs for: (1) use of medical technology; (2) stockpiling of essential supplies; (3) human resource development; (4) surveillance systems for disease detection; (5) coordination; and (6) emergency funding.

The very large trilobite Taihungshania miqueli occurs abundantly in siliceous nodules in the Ordovician of the Montagne Noire, southern France, but in these, larval individuals are not preserved. At a new locality at Peret, near Cabrières, protaspid and early meraspid growth stages occur in great abundance, together with a few complete specimens belonging to meraspid degrees 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7, and a single young holaspis. Although this material is largely flattened, and the originally globular protaspides crushed, it is still possible to establish the development of several axial rings before the transitory pygidium becomes liberated. In the degree 0 meraspis, the cephalon and transitory pygidium are about the same size, and the presence of a partially enrolled degree 3 meraspis indicates that protective coiling was possible by this early stage. Palpebral lobes are incipient in degree 2 meraspides, and fully formed by degree 7, otherwise the morphology of the cephalon becomes quite adult-like by degree 4. The pygidial spines begin to appear in degree 5, at which stage there are about 10 axial rings; there are about 13 in a degree 7 meraspis, and in the adult, where the posterior contour is semi-elliptical, there are some 22. The smallest hypostomes present belong to a degree 6 meraspis, and these are morphologically similar to those of adults. Observations on the later growth stages were made on material from another locality (Caramaou), as well as that from Peret. In the eye the upper lenses are large and slightly separated, but those towards the base are much diminished in size; this is a function of an unusual growth geometry.

At Peret, all stages of development, at least as far as young adults, are represented, albeit often in a fragmentary state. As with other asaphines, the protaspides are assumed to be planktic, and T. miqueli presumably left the plankton and became benthic between the protaspid and meraspid periods.

The ontogeny of Parabolina spinulosa is described on the basis of material from Andrarum (Skåne) and Jämtland in Sweden. Protaspides are rare, and indifferently preserved, but well-preserved isolated tagmata and complete specimens from the early meraspid stages onwards were available for study. Whereas the ontogeny is broadly similar to that of the earlier Olenus wahlenbergi, there are subtle differences, notably in a greater spinosity from the earlier stages and a gradual, rather than a sudden, change of surface sculpture in the early holaspid. P. spinulosa at all stages of growth is much more variable than is Olenus. Meraspides have larger articulating halfrings anteriorly and the first thoracic segments are of greater sagittal length than in the adult; these were adaptations which enabled Parabolina to undergo cylindrical enrollment from an early stage.

Parabolina is considered to have arisen from the earlier genus Olenus, and on the basis of comparative ontogeny many, though not all, features of Parabolina appear to be of paedomorphic origin. These include the reduction of the preglabellar field, retention of the visual surface, position of the eyes set close to the glabella, retention of a conterminant hypostome, yoking of the librigenae, spinosity of the thorax and pygidium, more numerous glabellar furrows and reduction in number of thoracic segments. Olenus attenuatus has several features intermediate between those of earlier Olenus species and Parabolina, and the origin of the latter genus is best considered in terms of a mosaic paedomorphocline.

The eyes of eighteen female sheep (Ovis aries) were refracted and details of inter ocular distance, pupil size, shape and fundus presence recorded. The sheep eyes generally possessed very low hyperopia with little astigmatism, such physiological optics being expected to produce a well focused retinal image for objects in the middle and long distance. No evidence was found for accommodation, which would have produced a well focused ocular image for near objects. A further 10 sheep had their monocular and binocular visual fields measured. The estimated visual field suggests the existence of at least binocular vision, if not the presence of stereopsis. Given the lack of accommodation and a wide inter-ocular distance, it is likely that some degree of stereopsis exists in the animal's middle and long distance vision, but is absent in near vision. These findings support those taken from the animal's neurophysiology and observations of its visually guided behaviour.

The upper Cambrian trilobite Olenus wahlenbergi Westergård, 1922 occurs abun- dantly in stinkstone concretions in the Alum Shales at Andrarum, in Skåne, southern Sweden (Olenus/Homagnostus obesus Zone). All growth stages from anaprotaspis onwards are represented, though the early stages are comparatively uncommon and complete specimens are rare. Fine details of structure are preserved, suitable for scanning electron microscopic study.

The protaspis has five axial rings, which in the adult become divided transversely and reduced to three, and the preglabellar field expands markedly in the holaspis. The librigena broadens during development and the eye, with its widely separated lenses is retained on the librigena throughout meraspid development. The visual surface dehisces during ecdysis from the early holaspid onwards, due to emplacement of the ocular suture. The hypostome apparently changes from a conterminant to a natant condition in the early holaspis, which is consistent with the growth of the preglabellar field at this stage. The transitory pygidium has a slightly serrated margin throughout development, but becomes entire when all thoracic segments have been liberated.

Cuticular sculpture changes dramatically throughout ontogeny. Large (Type A) tubercles appear on the fixigena in early meraspides; these become prominent and coalesce by the end of meraspid development. They are abruptly replaced by smaller (Type B) tubercles in the early holaspid, which link to form a rough network in mature specimens. Comparable Type A tubercles in early meraspid librigenae give rise to a strong polygonal caecal sculpture in holaspids, while a radial sculpture on the broadening anterior border develops independently. The significance of these cuticular changes remains obscure. A median occipital organ is described for the first time in the Olenidae.

The Carboniferous trilobite Paladin eichwaldi shunnerensis (King 1914), at its type locality in northern England is exceptionally well-preserved, and shows all stages of growth from the degree 0 meraspis onwards. The post-protaspid ontogenyis described here with particular reference to the development of cuticular sculpture. On the dorsal surface of the smallest specimens a polygonal network of raised ridges (cell polygons) is apparent. With size increase, granules progressively appear amongst the polygons, which in turn change into large tubercles as the polygonal network fades. As the trilobite grows into an adult, the tubercles become relatively smaller, and pits, the openings of cuticular canals, appear amongst them. Marginal terrace lines become pronounced. On the hypostome, however, terrace lines become effaced centrally, while large pits develop. In the early meraspis the eyes are “schizochroal”, but the lenses rapidly become closely packed and contiguous and the eye is soon of “holochroal” type. The meraspid phase is passed through very rapidly. Whereas the earlymeraspis could not enroll, its pygidium could be bent down vertically, and this facility might have allowed the larva an escape reaction.

Calyptaulax brongniartii (Portlock) from the Caradocian Bardahessiagh Formation, Pomeroy, Northern Ireland is redescribed. Equivalent material from Scottish horizons (Balclatchie and Ardwell groups) is regarded as belonging to separate populations. Campbell's system of notation is used to describe variation in the arrangement and number of lenses in the eye. The most closely related species is C. strasburgensis (Ulrich & Delo) from the Edinburg Limestone of Virginia, U.S.A.