HRDLICKA J PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY OF THE LENAPE 65 
The lateral diameter or thickness is also slightly larger in the left 
femur in nearly all the racial and sex groups, but the excess is less — 
than with the breadth. It is thus evident that the left femur at this 
point is in general slightly stronger than the right. But, as already 
indicated, the mean excess in breadth is mostly greater than that in 
thickness, the result of which in most of the groups is a slightly lower 
piasgmcric index on the left side. 
As to sexes, the platymeric index in the Munsee is slightly higher 
on both sides in the females than in the males. This is exceptional 
for Indians, the condition being usually the reverse. In the United 
States whites and United States negroes, and in Indian tribes other 
than the Munsee examined by the writer, the male femur as a rule 
gives a somewhat higher average index on both sides than the female, 
indicating that the flattening in the male is of lesser degree. 
As to the sides, in the majority of the groups, and particularly in 
the Munsee, the right platymeric index is slightly higher than the 
left. In the Arkansas and Louisiana Indians it was very nearly 
equal on the two sides in both sexes. In the series of United States 
white males used here for comparison, and in the United States negro 
females, the right index is higher. KEvidently, while the preponderant 
tendency is for the right platymeric index to be slightly higher than 
the left, there are not infrequent exceptions, but the differences are 
not of much importance. 
To summarize, it may be stated that at the subtrochanteric flatten- 
ing the Munsee femur shows a decidedly greater compression than the 
femora of the United States whites, and especially those of United 
States negroes; it shows a slightly greater relative flatness in the 
male than in the female, which is exceptional; and in the majority of 
cases it is relatively slightly flatter on the left than on the right side 
of the body. 
These details may seem rather involved, and perhaps in some 
instances of no great consequence. But when at some time we shall 
be able to examine scores of records where we have now but few, and 
each series of records extending to hundreds instead of to only tens 
of specimens, the above points will assume a definite morphological 
importance, demonstrating on the one side the presence of astonish- 
ingly uniform and persistent laws relating even to secondary charac- 
teristics of bones, and, on the other, to clear, conspicuous, racial 
sexual and other group differences. 
SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FEMORA 
As to special descriptive characteristics of the Munsee femora, 
special attention was paid to the linea aspera, the shape of the shaft 
at middle, and the presence and development of the third trochanter. 
17135°—Bull. 62—16——5 
