n. pl. An order of extinct mesozoic reptiles, mostly of
large size (whence the name). Notwithstanding their size, they present
birdlike characters in the skeleton, esp. in the pelvis and hind limbs.
Some walked on their three-toed hind feet, thus producing the large
"bird tracks," so-called, of mesozoic sandstones; others were five-toed
and quadrupedal. See Illust. of Compsognathus, also Illustration of
Dinosaur in Appendix.
