Re: how may one tell a female skeleton from a male skeleton?

There is no definite 100% way of distinguishing a male from a female skeleton. With a little study and some practice you should be able to distinquish most. Here is a list of the major criteria and a picture download of a pelvis.

Male                                    Female 
Skull is heavier and rougher       Lighter and smoother 
Forehead is usually sloping        More vertical
Sinuses are larger                 Smaller
Cranium about 10% larger           Smaller
Mandible is larger, robust         Lighter, smaller
Teeth are larger                   Smaller

PELVIS
Narrow, robust, heavy, rough       Broad, light, smooth
Pelvic inlet is heart shaped       Oval to round shape
Iliac fossa is deep                Relatively shallow
Ilium extends further above        more vertical, less above the sacroiliac 
the sacrum                                   

Angle under the symphysis is less  Angle greater than 100 degrees
than 90 degrees
Sacrum is long with pronounced     Broad, short less curvature
sacral curvature
Coccyx points anteriorly           Points Inferiorly
 
Bone weight is heavier             Lighter
Bone markings more prominent       Less prominent