The first group was carnivorous, the second
herbivorous; and, as the reptiles of the first group had four or
five toes on each foot, they are known as the Theropods (or
"beast-footed" ), while those of the second order, which had
three toes, are called the Ornithopods (or "bird-footed"). Each
of them then gave birth to an order of quadrupeds. In the
spreading waters and rich swamps of the later Triassic some of
the Theropods were attracted to return to an amphibiOus life, and
became the vast, sprawling, ponderous Sauropods, the giants in a
world of giants. On the other hand, a branch of the vegetarian
Ornithopods developed heavy armour, for defence against the
carnivores, and became, under the burden of its weight, the
quadrupedal and monstrous Stegosauria and Ceratopsia. Taking this
instructive general view of the spread of the Deinosaurs as the
best interpretation of the material we have, we may now glance at
each of the orders in succession.
The Theropods varied considerably in size and agility. The
Compsognathus was a small, active, rabbit-like creature, standing
about two feet high on its hind limbs, while the Megalosaurs
stretched to a length of thirty feet, and had huge jaws armed
with rows of formidable teeth.
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