[Morthoron]

Originally Posted by Boo Radley

No. One of the dwarfs will be female. But you won't know which one. Neither will the other dwarfs.
But there'll be plenty of sidelong looks, uncomfortable pauses in conversations around the campfire and general confusion and unspoken innuendo when it comes time to bed down for the night.

Funny you should mention it, I touched on this gender confusion in my 'Monty Python's The Hobbit' parody, found here:
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4732841/...ons_The_Hobbit


Here is a brief but illuminating dialogue:

Bilbo was fidgeting as he paced inside Elrond’s chambers. “Now Gandalf, just who is this Master Elrond again?”

“He is a descendant of a great old family,” Gandalf replied succinctly. “Quite famous, actually. His great-grandfather was the mortal Beren who was wed to Luthien, daughter of an Elf king and a Maia.”

“What, like an Aztec?”

“No, Maia as in 'of the Maiar'. I am one myself.”

“I didn't know you came from Peru!”

“Oh, skip it! Just know that Elrond is a half-elf.”

“He's short then?”

“No, no, no!” Gandalf growled. “His father was mortal and his mother was an elf. No, wait...actually they both were elves, but his grandfather was mortal. Bah! Needless to say Elrond is still considered an elf, while his brother was mortal.”

“That makes no sense genetically,” Bilbo muttered in Darwinian confusion.

Dumplin the dwarf interrupted this witty repartee by asking, “Can dwarves wed elves?”

“I'm not sure,” Gandalf answered hesitantly. “I don't see why not, as it has been done several times in fan-fiction stories. Why do you ask?”

Dumplin clasped his hands together and his face turned beet-red. “Well, there's this elf in Mirkwood named Legolas, and he's just GORGEOUS!”

Bilbo frowned and turned to Balin and Dwalin for an explanation. He whispered, “What is the story with Dumplin? He certainly acts odd.”

Balin bit his lip, and then whispered back, “Well, actually, Dumplin is not a HE at all, but a SHE-dwarf, rather.”

Dwalin, whispering also, replied, “Are you sure?”

Balin rolled his eyes. “Well of course I'm sure. Look at her beard!”

“Dumplin…is a she?” Bilbo said incredulously.

Balin shrugged. “Well, close enough for a lonely night on the road.”

“You see, Bilbo,” Dwalin added with downcast eyes, “we dwarves have very few females.”