Europe in the Jurassic Period was no more than a collection of islands. Much of what is now dry land was covered by shallow seas, salty lagoons, freshwater lakes and marshes. Only a few areas, such as present-day Scotland, France and Spain, lay above the sea. These subtropical islands were low-lying and dry with low shrubs and other desert vegetation. The conditions did not suit many dinosaurs, tending to favour very small ones, such as Compsognathus, which could survive on insects and small lizards. This habitat was home for another small reptile, one that could be described both as a dinosaur and a bird: Archaeopteryx.