Compact bone. Light micrograph of a section through compact bone of the fibula (lower leg). This tissue is found in the dense walls of the shafts of bones. It consists of concentric layers of collagen-containing matrix (lamellae, pink), around Haversian canals (white), which contain blood and lymph vessels, and nerves. These canals run the length of the bone. The lamellae and canals together form a Haversian system, or osteon. Many systems are arranged in columns running parallel to the long axis of the bone. Osteocytes, the cells which maintain the bony matrix, are housed in small spaces known as lacunae (black dots).