76 



American Statistical Association. 



thus made manifest, depend upon differences of race or cli- 

 mate. This seemed the more desirable from the fact that, 

 according to Quetelet, the curves of growth of the two sexes 

 never intersect, as they are shown to do in these observations. 

 For purposes of comparison an extract from Quetelet's tables 

 is here given, showing the height and weight of the childi^en of 



Table No. 17. 



Showing Height and Weight of Belgian Children of hath Sexes from 

 5 to 18 Tears of Age. (Quetelet, Anthropometrie, p. 418.) 



both sexes in Belgium at the ages included in our observa- 

 tions. On Plate IV are given curves of growth constructed 

 from this table, by which it will be seen that tlie height of 

 girls is always less than that of boys of the same age, wliile 

 the weight, though the same at twelve years of age, is less 

 both before and after that period. 



Unfortunately, observations on the size of growing girls 

 have rarely been made in any country ; and it is, therefore, 

 almost impossible to institute the desired comparison. In 

 anthropometrical investigations the female sex seems to have 



