A. B. Emmons 
35 
slight or occasional variations from the standard here set. But it is felt that 
this series of 217 specimens will form a group sufficiently comprehensive to 
include all important variations in approximately their due proportions, and serve 
for a standard of comparison with the male pelvis and the pelves of animals and 
other races of man, as well as a standard to differentiate the pathological. 
Material. The material on which this paper is based is to be found largely 
in the splendid collection of the U.S. National Museum in Washington. The 
remainder is in the Peabody Museum, Cambridge, Mass., and the American 
Natural History Museum, New York City. To the authorities of these insti- 
tutions the writer wishes to express his thanks for the privilege of using the 
specimens, which has made this study possible. He also desires to extend his 
grateful acknowledgments to Dr Hrdlicka of the U.S. National Museum for his 
kindness and advice. 
To obtain accuracy and to avoid error several special means were employed. 
A few of the specimens were somewhat injured. The exact relative position of 
these bones could not always be accurately fixed. In a few cases careful estimates 
only could be made, but no specimens were used unless the relative positions 
of the bones could be obtained with a fair degree of accuracy. When broken 
specimens were used the measurement was marked (" a ") approximate. The use 
of the accurate " compas glissiere " for the greater part of the measurements 
also tended to reduce error. Nearly all measurements were made on disarticulated 
pelves. To hold the bones in proper relative positions the hand and the sand- 
box were found rather unsatisfactory. The apparatus seen in Plate V was 
therefore devised and used for the entire series. Jt is believed that the margin 
of unavoidable error in these measurements is not a great one. 
Measurements. Anthropologists differ widely in what they have considered the 
essential measurements of the pelvis. These differences probably arose because 
the pelvis is such a complicated architectural bony structure. 
Topinard (2) gave measurements on 207 pelves of animals and man. 
Verneau (3) made a large number of measurements on specimens from many 
different races. Turner (4), reducing the number of measurements made by 
Verneau, gave observations on specimens of many peoples collected on the 
Challenger expedition. From these I have selected only those few measure- 
ments which seemed to me to be most essential for comparison, and I have added 
a very few observations of interest in regard to one particular region, the pelvic 
outlet. 
In the last step in the evolution of man either from the primate to man or 
from one class of primate to another, whichever anthropological classification of 
man is used, the most essential change which concerned the pelvis was the 
assumption of the erect posture. The pelvis has carried on the function of 
child-bearing probably ever since a pelvis has existed. The function of weight- 
bearing, however, by the recent assumption of the upright attitude was transferred 
5-2 
