The weight of the boys increases at a fairly steady rate. 

 Starting with an average of 101.52 pounds in the first quarter, 

 the weights increase regularly until in the last quarter of the 

 16th year they attain an average of 112.08 pounds. This is 

 a gain of 10.56 pounds during the period. For the girls, on 

 the other hand, the weights exhibit fluctuations from one 

 period to another. There is, for instance, a sudden drop in 

 weight from the third quarter to the following period. This 

 condition has already been noted in the heights of the girls at 

 the same ages. In the two years under consideration, the 

 girls gain 3.61 pounds, or only about one- third as much as 

 the boys gain. The girls in the seventh quarter show the 

 greatest average weight, 108.55 pounds; those in the second 

 quarter show the lowest average weight, 104.02 pounds. The 

 -girls are heavier than the boys in the first three quarters, but 

 the boys surpass them in weight at every subsequent quarter. 



In order to compare the growth in weight of the New York 

 children with those reported upon by other investigators, it is 

 necessary, as in the case of heights, to give the growth of our 

 children during the period 14| to 15J. On this basis, the New 

 York boys show an increase in weight from 103.38 pounds at 

 14| to 109.69 at 15j, or a gain of 6.31 pounds. The girls start 

 at 104.54 pounds at 14J, and increase to 107.57 pounds at 15J, 

 gaining 3.03 pounds. Bowditch's data show that the Boston 

 boys gain 12.19 pounds and the girls 7.65 pounds. Boas found 

 in the case of Worcester boys an increase of 15.6 pounds, and in 

 the case of Worcester girls, an increase of 5.6 pounds, dur- 

 ing the same period. Here, too, Boas' figures are more in har- 

 mony with Bowditch's than with ours. Our children show an 

 increase in weight only one-half as large as the children of the 

 other cities, a condition like that shown for heights, and ex- 

 plained in the same way. 



RELATION OF WEIGHT TO HEIGHT 



We have so far limited ourselves to a consideration of 

 height and weight without reference to the relations that these 

 two bear to each other. We shall now proceed to consider 

 them in their related aspects, for weights, especially of grow- 

 ing children, are in large measure determined by height. Table 

 7 gives the average weights of boys and girls for each inch of 

 height for the two-year period 14 to 16.* 



*A more detailed presentation of the average weights for each half -inch 

 of height at each quarter-year period is given in Table 19 Parts A-B 

 Appendix II. 



