The big-bellied bird burglar

Here's a quick one just to keep things ticking over. I recently acquired a kids' book from 1975 entitled Prehistoric Monsters (the things I buy on eBay!), and was a little upset to discover that it was filled with the standard, mostly quite competent Burian and Zallinger rip-offs. Therefore, it didn't seem quite up to being reviewed here in full.

However, illustrator Graham Allen did furnish us with one rather remarkable piece. And here it is!

Now, I'll grant you that Ornitholestes was a slightly strange theropod anyway, but this is just fleeing at breakneck speed with the cake. It looks like it's made out of the disparate parts of several different creatures! Of course, it's also yet another entry for the Bird Grabbin' Ornitholestes Hall of Fame, complete with teeny-tiny Archaeopteryx. Literal artistic interpretations of dinosaurs' names can be rather fun; won't anyone consider drawing a T. rex dressed like Henry VIII? Pretty please. Make him nice and portly too.

So, sorry about the short 'picture of the day' post (not to mention that title - such crude alliteration being a great affront to the aesthetic sensibilities of the high-minded and literary gentlefolk to whom this blog is dedicated).  If it's any consolation, I've ordered - and plan on reviewing - Bakker/Rey's Dinosaurs - In Your Face!, and will be sure to feature suitable shots of me looking very silly in 3D glasses.