108 LECTURES ON EVOLUTION m 



of these animals may have walked upon their hind 

 legs, as birds do, acquires great weight. In fact, 

 there can be no reasonable doubt that one of the 

 smaller forms of the Ornithoscelida, Compsognathus, 

 the almost entire skeleton of which has been dis- 

 covered in the Solenhofen slates, was a bipedal 

 animal. The parts of this skeleton are somewhat 



FIG. 7. RESTORATION OF COMPSOGNATHUS LONGIPES. 



twisted out of their natural relations, but the 

 accompanying figure gives a just view of the 

 general form of Compsognatkus and of the propor- 

 tions of its limbs ; which, in some respects, are 

 more completely bird-like than those of other 

 Ornithoscelida. 



