EB RAR Y New York State Veterinary College ITHACA, NEW YORK The vertebrates of the Cayuga Lake Basis, CORNELL UNIVERSITY THE Flower Ueterinary Library FOUNDED BY ROSWELL P. FLOWER for the use of the N.Y. STATE VETERINARY COLLEGE 1897 Digitized by Microsoft® eee Cornell Universit QL The vertebrates of the Cayuga Lake basin i 7h Digitized by Microsoft® This book was digitized by Microsoft Corporation in cooperation with Cornell University Libraries, 2007. You may use and print this copy in limited quantity for your personal purposes, but may not distribute or provide access fo it (or modified or partial versions of if) for revenue-generating or other commercial purposes. Digitized by Microsoft® THE VERTEBRATES OF THE CAYUGA LAKE BASIN, N. Y. By HUGH D. REED anp ALBERT H. WRIGHT. Digitized by Microsoft® No, oe 2 THE VERTEBRATES OF THE CAYUGA LAKE BASIN, N. Y. (From the Department of Neurology and Vertebrate Zodlogy, Cornell University.) Wir Four Maps. By HUGH D. REED anp ALBERT H. WRIGHT. (Read October 1, 1909.) INTRODUCTION. This paper is based mainly upon the records made by members of this department since the opening of the university in 1868; our personal observations have extended over the last twelve years. For valuable notes, helpful criticism and material assistance we are indebted to Professors B. G. Wilder, T. L. Hankinson and E. H. Eaton and to Messrs. G. S. Miller, Jr.. L. A. Fuertes, A. A. Allen, G. C. Embody and John Vann. Many others have aided in various ways and acknowledgments are made in the proper places. The paper includes all the vertebrates known by us to occur in this basin. Each record is based upon specimens taken within our limits. In cases of doubt as to identification the specimens have been submitted to specialists in the group. The only previous publications which deal specifically with the vertebrates of this region are: “ Fishes of Cayuga Lake,” by B. G. Wilder, published in the Weekly Ithacan for June 25; 1875, “ Notes on the Fishes of Cayuga Lake Basin,” by Seth E. Meek, published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, Vol. IV., 1899, and “ The Lake and Brook Lampreys of New York, Especially those of Seneca and Cayuga Lakes,” by S. H. Gage, in the “ Wilder Quar- ter-Century Book,” 1893. There are numerous other publications which contain notes upon the vertebrates of this basin, particularly the birds and reptiles, to which reference will be made elsewhere. 370 Digitized by Microsoft® a a 7 6 2 ' On A 4 6 (<) PLATE XVII 3 % = : San ie NT 71 PSS Le ee = 7A, GleriwdodProsill) HAST i x 5 ee = i . : NM, La \ Oh feaeo NS Con. calc Allee, oe WesupeydAR ‘eS (i ¥ q ULL BS 6ST EBA OA ESAANTS [IN Gy q <3 hd = oe Set y Broek ¥ oo Lap | i A Z ZZ LZ = ie ») U Vi Pein \S #8) Pleasaut Groupe Cem. aa RN . Woed'uwu Cem, bok Ss, —t a i "| \ es Ly Hui it = ees ra ee Elta Hottie VS] Map of Ithaca and Vicinity. Digitized by Microsoft® W #: Ht Lucifer Fi SST. \ Kent PROCEEDINGS Am. PHILos. Soc. Vot. XLVIII. No. 193 z 6 8 4 3 2 ° 7 o 2 3 5 6 7 Digitized by Microsoft® PROCEEDINGS Am. PHILOS. PLaTe XVIII f a ie e eee Saye Ae Pavit (Dk Wigsors Refsigitded by Microsone”= Digitized by Microsoft® Digitized by Microsoft® Digitized by Microsoft® PROCEEDINGS Am. PHILOS. Soc. VOL. XLVIII. No. 193 PLATE XX MAP OF THE LAKE REGION Oo CENTRAL NEW YORK LAKE ONTARIO 246 rz. ° Fair Haven 280 pe | | Howland Lland Si ca — Weegaport, = 9 ? 4 Skaneateles | Seaggasetes ON 2 ; Cananaeiaue 4 Waterloo Sve ooayyoe s Gen <2 t 8 500" 460 Seneca Falls Fs 9 & Canogu #3 Qa Lp Marshes“ > \o m Union Springs 419 2 <. Levanne tH r= a e Aurora_— ai 0 Auror 436 y 7 a F sm, wage : ac 0 Penn Yan 767 0, Keuka Outlet is ° a Kings Ferry Sta.\ Genoa 6: ‘400 ee .Atwaters Y Beer ‘. tw F t 3 t “2. Co! o\ *% 2, — f% % ky fp~—~ Trumansbut Pa, = f b ene LJ > = f re k Falls = & CL. f.—-, ‘ x : [re a K4 ie peetolay i | ’ Ld Renwick Marshes a “2° 27 T Ithaca © Hammondsport ne | a9 Cuscadilla Cr. 4 y . HilkMarsh 7} iia D S. in Ae Connectic: Hill 2095 Cayuta. Luke Me fe) Watkins 1372 Key Hill 718-6 Bath 718. ‘ Newfield S han ° | f \ ¢ 1S 3e H “08 Je DS, eee } 3 4 x i) aoe, r | West ~ 720" AK" Bald Mt / = ' 8 Kae Ping 2 wo waedat oasis , Thatchers pinnacle Ht & ¥ 3 e g 5 Tt ' ECS i % | ; oy 2 LZ. | < 1 ke) * | is North Spencer West Candor 8 N = 1040 4 3 oS B c { | Spencer 994 5 ' © Van Etten ve | 1040 - ‘ Painted Post ‘S 4 Horseheads | O G A : | 903 | ° bituon ome XY CY H EM N G : Conisteo R. oe? , [ poor? Elmira 880 ° t Te . coe | Chemung R. ' | ' Waverly 8: é wo 1 fo ge eee ee ed-bi-Nhereso 2) ui es Digitized by Microsoft® 1909.] THE CAYUGA LAKE BASIN, N. Y. 871 The Maps.—The map of the Ithaca region (Pl. XVII) is from Dudley’s “The Cayuga Flora.” It shows this region in more detail than the general map. A small portion of the southern end of the basin is shown in a photograph (Pl. XVIII) of a relief map made by William Stranahan from the U. S. Geological Survey sheets. It gives a very accurate idea of the gorges and general surface carving in the southern portion of the basin. It is through the courtesy of Mr. Stranahan and the authorities of the Cornell University Library that we are able to reproduce it here. Plate XIX represents a cross- section of the finger-lake region, showing the comparative depths and altitudes of lake levels and the altitude of intervening land. The lakes are represented in section at their deepest points, the land as indicated by the lines 4, B, C on the figure in the lower left-hand corner of the plate. The distance between the lakes is not propor- tional to the elevation. Plate XX is a map of the lake region of central New York based primarily upon the map published by Pro- fessor Dudley in his flora of the basin. It has been modified in many particulars in order to adapt it to the needs of the present paper. The modifications are based largely upon the maps of the U. S. Geological Survey and in a minor degree upon personal obser- vations. The number accompanying the name of a town or hill indicates its altitude above sea level. The altitudes are taken from bench marks so far as they are given. In other cases the altitude given is that of the contour which passes through the center of a town or indicates the top of a hill. The Lake Basin.—Cayuga is the largest of a series of approxi- mately parallel lakes in central New York which extend in a north and south direction. They are long and narrow, virtually deep river valleys, and consequently have been very appropriately des- ignated the “ Finger Lakes.” The basin as delimited in this paper (Pl. XX) comprises about 1,600 square miles. Throughout the greater part of this area only the actual catchment basin has been included, but, in the northern portion, the limits as we have set them are, to a certain degree, arbitrary. It includes a portion of the Clyde and Seneca rivers and the large Montezuma marshes which cover an area of 45 square miles. The greatest length of the basin is about 65 miles, extending Digitized by Microsoft® 372 REED-WRIGHT—THE VERTEBRATES OF [October 1, from the source of Butler Creek southward to the source of the Cayuga inlet near North Spencer. The width gradually increases from 12 miles at Montezuma to Taughannock Falls, where it sud- denly broadens to about 30 miles because of a finger-like extension ‘along the course of Fall Creek. The length of the lake is usually estimated at thirty-eight miles, its breadth from one and a half to three miles. In appearance, therefore, it resembles a great river; indeed it is said to occupy a part of a preglacial river channel of which the Neguaena’ valley was the continuation. The height of the lake above mean tide is 383° feet, the greatest depth found by numerous soundings of the Cornell University Engineering Department was 435 feet at a point directly off Kidder’s Ferry. In the section between Myers Point and Sheldrake Point it is in many places over 400 feet deep. On account of its depth its waters are comparatively cold far into the summer, and rarely become so chilled in winter as to admit of the formation of ice over the deeper sections. From one half to two thirds of the middle section usually remains open, but in the winter of 1884-5 the lake was frozen over before the middle of Feb- ruary and the ice did not break up till the first week in April. There is a tradition that this occurs about once in twenty years (Dudley). Data collected from various sources show that this tradition has some foundation in fact. Since the beginning of white settlements in this basin, soon after the Revolutionary War, the lake has frozen over seven times and the intervals have been, with one exception, from eighteen to twenty years. During the winter of 1836, ice cov- ered the lake throughout its extent but was apparently very thin, for in an article under the caption “ Cayuga ’* written in 1846 the writer observed that this condition lasted for a day or two only. Prior to 1836, the lake had been frozen twice but nothing is known concerning the dates further than that the intervals were about twenty years—probably about 1816 and 1796. During March and April, 1856, ice ten inches thick closed the entire lake. At many points teams were driven across. The Ithaca IVeekly Journal ot March 12, 1856, contains the following note: Cayuga Lake is frozen over completely from one extreme to the other. The like has not been known for over twenty years (1836) : * Now called the Inlet valley. *The average level as given by the U. S. Geological Survey is 381 feet. *Dudley, William R., “The Cayuga Flora, Part I.: A Catalogue of the Phenogamia Growing without Cultivation in the Cayuga Lake Basin,” Bul- Iletin of the Cornell University (Science), Vol. IL, 1886, Andrus and Church. Ithaca, N. Y. * Ithaca Daily Chronicle, Dec. 22, 1846, Vol. I., no. 140. Digitized by Microsoft® 1909.] THE CAYUGA LAKE BASIN, N. Y. 373 During the last half of February and the first of March, 1875, ice thirteen inches thick covered the entire lake. On February 15, 1884, the lake again froze over completely and remained so until April 4. Since this date Cayuga has frozen from end to end but once and then during February, 1904. In certain places the ice was 22 inches thick. The shallow water at either end of the lake is frozen over usually by the middle of December and remains in this condition until the middle of March or the first of April. Dudley further observes: The temperature of the lake unquestionably influences the development of vegetation in its immediate vicinity. Plants on its shores are usually a week later in the spring than in the neighboring ravines and the warm valley about Ithaca, and a week earlier than on the distant hills; and during the first half of November, the blue flowers of Aster levis and the white plumes of Aster sagittifolius still remain in considerable abundance, while they have long ago matured and faded near Ithaca. Proceeding southward from the gently sloping shores near Cayuga Bridge the banks become gradually bolder, until in the vicinity of Levanna the first cliffs appear on the eastern shore. Between Willets and Kings Ferry these reach their culmination in the “ High Cliffs”; but stretches of lofty, pre- cipitous, or more or less broken declivities occur on both shores until within a few miles of the southern extremity. At intervals, especially near the mouth of some stream, are low, half-sandy points which yield many rare plants. Near Ithaca, and about two miles from the lake, the great valley forks, the main portion continuing to the right of South Hill, a preglacial valley of erosion extending southwardly to Waverly in the Susquehanna Valley. The other portion on the left of South Hill is similar to the first and forms the present Six Mile Creek and White Church Valleys, and opens into the Sus- quehanna at Owego. These deep valleys penetrate and cut through the great dividing ridge between the St. Lawrence or Great Lake hydrographic system to which our streams and smaller lakes are tributary, and the Susquehanna system, and are parallel to similar valleys east and west of us. The head- waters of the streams occupying them, 7. e., the summits between the two systems are usually very near the crossing of the dividing ridge. (Dudley.) Hydrographic Areas—A glance at a hydrographic map of the state will reveal the existence of seven river systems, only two of which lie within the province of this paper, namely: the Oswego, of which the Finger Lakes are a part, and the Susquehanna. The latter has in New York a catchment area of 6,267 square miles and comes into very close relation with the Oswego system through the numerous inlets of the Finger Lakes where the origins of many Digitized by Microsoft® 374 REED-WRIGHT—THE VERTEBRATES OF _ [October 1, of the streams of each system are very close, in a few instances with actual water connection. The close relation existing between the Finger Lakes and the Susquehanna system is most marked in the tributaries of Cayuga Lake. Sixmile and Wilseyville creeks arise about three miles apart with a considerable elevation intervening, but within the upper three miles of their respective courses, they approach within three fifths of a mile of each other at precisely the same level with no high land between. Buttermilk creek arises one fourth of a mile from Michigan creek and three tenths of a mile from Danby Creek, all at an elevation of 1,100 feet. Taughannock Creek arises in the same marsh with a tributary of Cayuta Lake at an elevation of 1,300 feet. The inlet of Cayuga Lake arises one and one half miles from Spencer Creek at the same elevation and in the same stretch of marshy area. The west branch of the Inlet at its source is one fifth of a mile from Cantor creek in Pony Hollow. Sixmile Creek and the west branch of the Owego Creek rise in the same marsh at an altitude of 1,280 feet. The west branch of the Owego Creek also comes into close relation with Fall Creek through the tributaries of Dryden Lake. These examples serve to show not only the possibility of recent connections but in the case of several streams of the two systems an actual connection at the present time. The sources of Sixmile and Wilseyville creeks are so close that they are connected for lim- ited periods during flood times. Professor R. S. Tarr has expressed to us the belief that before the region was settled and the dense virgin forests cleared away, many of the streams of the Cayuga and Susquehanna systems, with present close relations, were actually connected in the heavily wooded swamps. The outlet of the Finger Lakes is the Seneca River, which con- stitutes the principal component of the Oswego system. The stream itself is about fifty miles long and according to the U. S. Geological Survey has a drop of only twenty feet which accounts for its slug- gish, meandering and marshy course. It receives the drainage of a little more than three thousand square miles of territory. Digitized by Microsoft® 1909.] THE CAYUGA LAKE BASIN, N. Y. 375 The following is a table of the elevations, and area of water and of catchment basins of the Finger Lakes taken from Rafter :° Elevation in Area of Water Area of Catchment Lake, Feet. in Square Miles. Basin in Square Miles. Canandaigua ........ 686 18.6 175 Ketka: as casa vengss 720 20.3 187 Seneca ssdswseaedivs 444 66.0 707 Gayuga casscncveasss 381 66.8 1593 Owasco ..........04. 710 12.4 208 Skaneateles .......... 867 12.8 73 Otisco cicvecesscesaae 784 3.0 34 Thus it appears that Cayuga has a slightly greater water area,® a decidedly greater catchment basin and a lower level (Pl. XIX) than any of the other Finger Lakes. The catchment basin is larger than the combined basins of the other six lakes. The usual fluctua- tion between high and low water in Cayuga is not great. Upon this point Rafter observes (p. 112): According to figures given in the Eleventh Annual Report of the State Board of Health of New York it appears that the maximum fluctuation of Cayuga Lake for a long series of years has been 7.56 feet, although this large fluctuation may be possibly partly due to work done by the state in cutting out the channel of the Seneca River for the purpose of draining the Mon- tezuma marsh. Ordinarily, the fluctuation of Cayuga Lake does not exceed between 2 and 3 feet. From March 4, 1887, to December 2 of that year, the lake fell 2.93 feet. By way of illustrating how these great natural reservoirs tend to prevent floods, it may be mentioned that the configuration of Cayuga outlet with relation to Clyde River is such that frequently, when there are heavy rainfalls in the catchment area of the Clyde River, Cayuga Lake being at the same time at a low level, the entire flood flow of Clyde River is dis- charged into Cayuga Lake without affecting Seneca River below the mouth of the Clyde River at all. It is undoubtedly due to this fact that fall floods on Oswego River are almost entirely unknown. The evaporation of the Oswego River catchment area is exceedingly large—about 28 inches—whence it results that the run-off from a mean annual rainfall of from 36 to 37 inches does not exceed about 9 or Io inches. During the winter of 1908-9 the lake level fell 1.25 feet below the mean level (383 feet), the lowest it had been for twenty years. *Rafter, George W., “ Hydrology of the State of New York,” Bull. 85 _ of the New York State Museum, 1905, p. 216. °Much greater if the forty-five square miles of the Montezuma marshes are included. Digitized by Microsoft® 376 REED-WRIGHT—THE VERTEBRATES OF [October 1, The principal tributaries of Cayuga Lake are: Cayuga Inlet, Six- mile Creek, Cascadilla Creek, with a combined catchment area of 173 square miles, Salmon Creek, with a catchment area of 90 square miles, and Taughannock Creek, with a catchment area of 60 square miles. In their upper courses all these streams follow broad and gently sloping preglacial valleys without waterfalls. All, however, except the inlet, have cut a mile or more of post-glacial channel just before entering the lake valley. Here the channels are narrow and deep and the descent sudden, forming the gorges and waterfalls so characteristic of the tributaries of Seneca and Cayuga lakes. The fall of these streams in the last two miles (more or less) is be- tween four and five hundred feet. What is said here of the princi- pal tributaries applies to most of the streams entering Cayuga lake. In this connection Professor Dudley wrote: There remains but one other feature to mention in this general review. Nothing in the physical aspect of this region strikes the stranger as more characteristic than the so-called gorges or ravines found in the first great bench above the lake and valleys, wherever a creek or even a brook descends to the lower level. The true gorges are probably, without exception, of recent or post-glacial origin; the walls are frequently of perpendicular or overhang- ing rock from fifty to two hundred feet or even much higher, as in Taughan- nock and Enfield ravines. Within these great chasms are usually falls or cascades, some of them exceedingly beautiful and of considerable height. The Life Zones——The Cayuga Lake basin is, in the main, typi- cally Transitional, although in certain localities there is a trace of the Upper Austral and Canadian. All of the nine species of mam- mals, which, Miller’ observes, “ will serve to identify any part of the Transition zone in New York,” are found within the basin. These forms are: Southeastern red squirrel, Sciurus hudsonicus loquar. Southern flying squirrel, Sciuropterus volans volans. Northern pine mouse, Microtus pinetorum scalopsoides. Naked-tailed mole, Scalops aquaticus. Hairy-tailed mole, Parascalops breweri. Northeastern chipmunk, Tamias striatus lysteri. Bonaparte’s weasel, Putorius cicognani. Big brown bat, Vespertilio fuscus. "Miller, Gerrit S., Jr., “ Preliminary List of New York Mammals,” Bull, of the New York State Museum, Vol. VI., No. 29, 1899. Digitized by Microsoft® t909.] THE CAYUGA LAKE BASIN, N. Y. 377 Of the eastern birds which find their northern breeding limit .in the Transition zone, nineteen out of the twenty-two mentioned by Miller breed in this basin. Bob-white, Ruffed grouse, Mourning dove, Yellow-billed cuckoo, Whip-poor-will, Least flycatcher, Baltimore oriole, . Towhee, Grasshopper sparrow, Indigo bunting, Rough-winged swallow, Northern loggerhead shrike, Yellow warbler, Parula warbler, Long-billed marsh wren, Catbird, Brown thrasher, Wood thrush, Blue bird, They are: Colinus virginianus. Bonasa umbellus umbellus. Zenaidura macroura carolinensis. Coccyeus americanus. Antrostomus vociferus. Empidonax minimus. Icterus galbula. Pipilo erythrophthalmus. Ammodramus savannarum aus- tralis. Passerina cyanea. Stelgidopteryx serripennis. Lanius ludovicianus migrans. Dendroica e@estiva. Compsothlypis americana usnee, Telmatodytes palustris. Dumetella carolinensis. To.xostoma rufum. Hylocichla mustelina. Sialia sialis. Of the ten eastern birds which find the southern limit of their breeding range in the Transition zone of New York, six breed in this basin: Pied-billed grebe, Purple finch, Nashville warbler, Chestnut-sided warbler, Chickadee, Veery, Tachybaptus podiceps. Carpodacus purpureus. Vermivora rubricapilla. Dendroica pensylvanica. Penthestes atricapillus. FHylocichla fuscescens. In the higher hills and in the upper parts of the gorges at the south end of the basin there is an unmistakable tinge of the Cana- PROC. AMER. PHIL. SOC,, XLVIII. 193 Z, PRINTED JANUARY 6, Igto. Digitized by Microsoft® 378 REED-WRIGHT—THE VERTEBRATES OF [October % dian zone. In these localities are found five of the ten Canadian mammals characteristic of this zone in New York. They are: Canadian white-footed mouse, Peromycus maniculatus gracilis. Common red-backed mouse, Evotomys gapperi gapperi. Woodland jumping-mouse, Napeozapus insignis. Northeastern mink, Putorius vison vison. Smoky shrew, Sorex fumeus. Of the sixteen more characteristic Canadian birds breeding in New York, the Blackburnian and Magnolia warblers breed upon these hills. Associated with this assemblage of Canadian forms are others which, while not characteristically Canadian, may be con- sidered northern forms. Such are: Slate-colored junco, Junco hyemalis. Nashville warbler, Vermivora rubricapilla. Black-throated blue warbler, Dendroica cerulescens. Black-throated green warbler, Dendroica virens. Water-thrush, Seiurus noveboracensis. Canadian warbler, Wilsonia canadensis. Winter wren, Nannus hiemalts. Hermit thrush, Hylocichia guttata pallasit. In about the same degree in which a trace of the Canadian zone is found in the higher portions of the basin there is a trace of the Upper Austral in the lowlands about the head and outlet of the lake. In these places are found such of the characteristic birds of the Upper Austral zone as breed in New York, viz., Louisiana water-thrush, Seiurus motacilla. Yellow-breasted chat, Icteria virens. Hooded warbler, Wilsonia citrina. Carolina wren, Thryothorus ludovicianus. Tufted titmouse, Beolophus bicolor (one specimen). In the same localities with the above are found species which reach their northern breeding limit in the Transition zone in New York having a wider breeding range to the southward, viz.: Barn owl, . Aluco pratincola. Digitized by Microsoft® 1909.] THE CAYUGA LAKE BASIN, N. Y. 379 Red-bellied woodpecker, Centurus carolinus. Rough-winged swallow, Stelgidopteryx serripennis. Orchard oriole, Icterus spurius, A few Lower Austral forms, as the glossy ibis, the egret and the turkey vulture, have been taken in Montezuma marshes during the summer season. In the lowlands about the head of the lake, particularly the Renwick marshes, there remain throughout the winter a number of transients and summer residents. They are: Kingfisher, Ceryle alcyon. Flicker, Colaptes auritus luteus. Meadow lark, Sturnella magna. Song sparrow, Melospiza melodia. Swamp sparrow, Afelospiza georgiana. Winter wren, Nannus hiemalis. Long-billed marsh wren, Telmatodytes palustris. Robin, : Planesticus migratoria. The localities where the more southern birds are found breeding and where a few summer residents pass the winter are the alluvial flood plains which constitute the “sheltered spots” of the basin. According to Dudley a few very rare plants belong to these levels, among them the more southern species. Meteorology—tThe basins of Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca and Cayuga lakes constitute a meteorological subdivision of the state termed the Central Lake region. On the north this subdivision meets the Ontario region. Lakes Owasco and Skaneateles are con- sidered as within the meteorological subdivision known as the East- ern Plateau which lies to the east and southeast of the central lakes. The Seneca lake basin, except for a small portion of its northern extremity, lies wholly within the Central Lake region while that of Cayuga is not only continuous with the Ontario region in its north- ern extremity but its southeastern portion projects for a considerable distance into the Eastern Plateau. The normal annual temperature of the Central Lake region dif- fers only slightly from that of the Ontario and to the extent of about three degrees only from the Eastern Plateau. The normal temperature for each of the three regions computed from the nor- Digitized by Microsoft® 380 REED-WRIGHT—THE VERTEBRATES OF {October 1, mal annual temperatures for eleven years, 1891-1901, is: Ontario 47.5°, Central Lakes 48.3°, Eastern Plateau 45.9°. Thus it appears that the Central Lake region is .8° warmer than the Ontario and 2.4° warmer than the Eastern Plateau. The extent to which the lake modifies the climate of the basin, if any, is still to be determined. Dr. W. D. Wilson, of Geneva, in comparing the influence of the lakes upon Ithaca and Geneva,? states that the northerly winds in winter are warmed by their passage up the lake valley, which they follow more or less closely, and cause the temperature in the vicinity of Ithaca during this season to stand 3.3 degrees higher than it otherwise would. According to E. C. Turner the observations made at Ithaca prior to 1897 substantiate _ Dr. Wilson’s views and moreover indicate that they apply to the whole of the central lake region. The normal monthly temperature for Ithaca compiled from data collected from 1875 to 1905 follows: January oscuGtauy shai 24.1 JANG 2 oe a2denenedd stn deaced Be 70.6 February ics vee vace vgcois 25.1 August.........000008 68.2 Matchivences sx acatacas 31.9 September............ 60.6 April ciccuwacas aatinkis 44.2 October ci scvcssvees sen 49.5 MAY. sostvioeiediedkae apie 57.0 November............ 37.6 We eesngnewa Oe se tees 66.2 December............ 28.4 The sum of daily heat units above 32 degrees is 14,317, com- piled from a table of normal daily temperature for 33 years and the average normal daily temperature of the six hottest weeks is 70.4 degrees. According to Turner, from 1879 to 1893 the average date of the latest freezing temperature was May 6, the extremes being April g and May 29. The average date of the first freezing temperature in the fall was October Io, the earliest being September 26, while in one year 32 degrees was not reached until October 31. A table of the latest spring and earliest fall killing frosts from 1900 to 1907 at three stations in the basin follows: Ithaca. Romulus. Auburn, 1900. May 7-Oct. 20 May t0-Oct. 20 May 6-Oct. 16 igor. April 12-Oct. 28 Oct. 18 April 12-Oct. 6 ®See Turner, E. T., Eighth Annual Report of the New York Weather Bureau, Assembly Documents, Vol. 25, 1897, p. 440. Digitized by Microsoft® 1909.] THE CAYUGA LAKE BASIN, N. Y. 381 Ithaca. Romulus. Auburn! 1902. May t10-Oct. Io May 15-Oct. 15 May 14-Oct. Io 1903. May 2-Oct. 25 May 2-Oct. 25 May 2-Oct. 24 1904. May 12-Oct. 7 April 22-Sept. 22 April 22-Sept. 22 1905. May 2-Oct. 26 May 3-Oct. 26 May 2-Oct. 23 1906. May 21-Oct. 1 May 21-Oct. 8 May 21-Oct. 8 1907. May 12-Oct. a1 May 21-Oct. 9 May 21-Oct. 9 The average precipitation for the Central Lake region is slightly less than that for either the Great Lake or Eastern Plateau. The mean annual precipitation for these regions compiled from precipi- tation data for the years 1891 to 1902 is: Great Lakes 35.65 inches, Eastern Plateau 40.8 inches, Central Lakes 34.46 inches. The nor- mal monthly precipitation at Ithaca compiled from the last twenty- nine years follows: Jandarysccs esis vas 2.16 in Vulyespeestess 5 tee 3.75 in. February........... 1.87 in AUGUSES. ocacnsccaas 3.24 in Marlies ctccgaces 2.44 in September.......... 2.83 in Aprils aie s cfaie seis 2.29 in October ............ 3.17 in May sdes-eaescdaceds 3.43 in November.......... 2.58 in MGTIO pepicsuats a witeardcinene 3.88 in December.......... 2.64 in From 1900 to 1907 there have been from 150 to 185 rainy days each year. For the same period the annual snowfall (unmelted) has varied from 46.4 to 75.8 inches, the average being 63.6. One of the striking features of the region about Ithaca is the small per- centage of clear days, as the following table will show: : Percentage of Partly Cloudy. Cloudy. Clear. Clear Days. [900 eianvsewes oes 174 109 82 22.4 TOOLS yeahs occlu d'sietetats 171 126 68 18.6 IGO2) g034 vawow eee ss 149 I51 65 17.8 TOOS ce ndlnssenie eens 195 98 72 19.7 TOOK. giiviaisieisnawen ears 180 II5 71 19.4 1905 ssgiaevedee. $e 148 126 gI 24.9 1900: -..4:cicaesweessed 164 92 109 29.8 TGO7~ saseiswiesw'eieis ae 163 140 62 16.9 Based upon average hours of sunshine from 1900 to 1903 R. G. Allen derived 49 per cent. as an annual mean of sunshine, or a monthly mean of 189 hours of sunshine. The average of mean relative humidities at Ithaca from 1900 to Digitized by Microsoft® 382 REED-WRIGHT—THE VERTEBRATES OF [October 1, 1907 is 77 per cent., based upon readings taken at 8 A.M. The range for these years being from 73 to 80 per cent. The total movement of wind in miles varies from 62,556 to 79,- 172. The maximum velocity ranges from 36 to 54 miles per hour in the period from November to March. The prevailing direction of the wind for the past eight years has been northwest. Besides the general winds there are local currents or night winds particularly in the southern portion of the basin. Concerning these Dr. W. M. Wilson® writes: The night wind commonly sets in two or three hours after sunset, first as a light breeze, but gradually increasing in strength until a velocity of about eight miles per hour is reached. This current has its origin on the hillsides at the southern end of the lake and flows northward down the channels of the two principal streams which form the inlet, converging into the main depression at the head of the lake. The flow of the current as it moves northward over the level surface of the lake is augmented by the cool cur- rents which join the main stream through the numerous gorges and water courses entering the valley from either side. Along the western shore at the southern end of the lake, where the densely wooded slopes cool the air near the surface, the flow of the cool breeze down the water courses towards the lake often continues throughout the day. The night breeze is usually stronger, but the day breeze as it comes from the depths of the woods is delightfully refreshing. The meteorological conditions of the Cayuga basin and more particularly those about Ithaca are thus commented upon by Gar- riott :7° In spring, summer and autumn precipitation is preceded twelve to forty- eight hours by southeast winds and falling barometer, and the barometer gen- erally falls to 29.90, or below, in spring and summer, and to 29.95, or below, in autumn before precipitation begins. In winter southerly winds precede pre- cipitation, but the winds shift more quickly and the signs of precipitation are not so well defined as in other seasons; precipitation begins in this season with a falling barometer and when the barometer has fallen to 30 or below. On account of the position of this station on the hillside and above the lake, diurnal winds are noticeable, especially during the warm months. When not influenced by passing storms these winds come as a gentle east to southeast breeze by night and by day a northwest wind having a velocity of two or three times greater than the day breeze. When, instead of shifting to the * Wilson, W. M., “New York Section of the Climatical Service of the Weather Bureau in codperation with Cornell University,” August, 1906, p. 59. * Garriott, Edward B., ‘‘ Weather Folk-lore and Local Weather Signs,” U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bull. 294 of the Weather Bureau, p. 03. Digitized by Microsoft® 1909.] THE CAYUGA LAKE BASIN, N. Y. 383 northwest in the early morning, the wind continues from the southeast and begins to increase in force, the approach of a storm is indicated. While rain begins most frequently with falling barometer, the heaviest rainfall often comes, especially in the warmer months, after the turn of the barometer from falling to rising. Richard’s registering hygrometer shows that in spring and summer the humidity sometimes decreases before rain, but rapidly increases after rain begins; in spring rain begins with relative humidity from 50 to 98 per cent., and in summer it may be as low as 50 per cent. one hour before rain begins. In autumn the effect of day and night seems greater than the influence of passing storms, and rain will begin with relative humidity as low as 50 per cent. one hour before rain. In winter there is usually an increase in humidity from one half to four hours before rain, and dry snow will begin with relative humidity as low as 4o per cent. Cirrus clouds are reliable indications of precipitation in all seasons, but are liable to be obscured by lower clouds of local formation in the colder portion of the year. These clouds appear moving from the west in the spring and winter, from the northwest in summer, and from the southwest in autumn, twenty-four to thirty-six hours before precipitation begins. Special characteristics of clouds have not been noted except in connection with cirrus clouds. Frost is likely to damage fruit or other crops in May and September. Heavy frost is generally preceded by high barometer, low temperature and humidity, very high wind and clear weather. The Fishes of the Basin—The fish fauna of the basin comprises 65 species distributed among 21 families, as follows: Petromyzonide ......... 2 species. Umbride ............... I species. Acipenseride ........... I e PsOcide: sicuwage tee vanes 2 i. Lepisosteide ............ I OY Peeciliide ........-...-- I « Amide: 3 sas tatsecteed ie I a Gasterosteide .......... I . Siluridger sass ecekeneses 5 « Percopside ............. i y Catostomide ........... 4 - Atherinide ............. I Cyprinide: 22.4 wasn esses 19 “ Centrarchide ........... 7 8 Anguillide ............. I ns Percid® from the Seneca River. On March 16, 1908, a flock of 118 individuals was reported from the north end of the lake. According to Father Raffeix swan were common on the lake in the days of the Jesuits for he writes :7° “It [Cayugal abounds in swan and geese all winter.” XXVIII. Order HERODIONES. The Heron-like Birds. 45. Family Ininipz. The Ibises. 154 (186). Plegadis autumnalis (Hasselquist). Glossy ibis. William Hopkins recorded a specimen from Cayuga Lake in 1854. There are two specimens in the possession of Foster Parker taken on the Seneca River in 1902. F.S. Wright shot one specimen and saw three others on Howland Island in May, 1902. On May 27, 1907, two males and two females were shot at Cayuga by Foster Parker. 46. Family Arpeip%. The Herons. 155 (190). Botaurus lentiginosus (Montagu). Bittern. Common summer resident. It nests in every marsh of any size throughout the basin. The average date of spring arrival is April 15, the earliest, March 28, 1908. Nesting begins the middle of May %« A Revised List of Birds of Central New York,” collected and pre- pared for publication by Frank R. Rathbun, Auburn, N. Y. % Ornithologist and Oélogist, Vol. 7, p. 133. °° Father Raffeix, “Relations for the Year 1671-72,” Quebec edition, p. 22. Digitized by Microsoft® 415 REED-WRIGHT—THE VERTEBRATES OF _ [October 1, and continues for the rest of the month. Young in the nest are found from the first to the middle of June. They depart for the south the first of November. 156 (191). Lxobrychus exilis (Gmelin). Least bittern. Common summer resident. The average date of spring arrival is May 15, the earliest May 9, 1908. The active period of nesting extends from May 20 to June 10. Young are found in the nest from about June 8 to June 25. We have no records of this species in the fall later than September Io. 157 (194). Ardea herodias Linnzus. Great blue heron. Common spring and fall transient and summer resident at Mer- idian, N. Y., at the north end of the basin. The average date of spring arrival is March 28, the earliest, March 18, 1890. In the fall they appear at the south end of the basin the last of July, the earliest record being a specimen taken July 18, 1889, by L. A. Fuertes. We have no records indicating that this species remains after November I. : 158 (196). Herodias egretta (Gmelin). Egret. This species was recorded in 1854 by William Hopkins. Foster Parker has in his collection a specimen shot at Cayuga but without record or recollection of date. 139 (201). Butorides virescens (Linneus). Green heron. Common summer resident. The average date of spring arrival is May 2, the earliest, April 18, 1906. Nesting begins about May 10 and continues until the middle of July. On July 11, 1906, four nests were found, one containing four eggs and the others, young birds which left the nest upon approach. This species leaves in the fall about the last of September, the latest record being October 2, 1902. 160 (202). Nycticorax nycticorax nevius (Boddaert). Black- crowned night heron. Never common but a regular spring and fall migrant. In the former season our records extend from May 11 to June 2, in the latter from July 14 to October 29. Digitized by Microsoft® 1909-] THE CAYUGA LAKE BASIN, N. Y. 419 XXIX. Order PALUDICOLA. The Cranes and Rails. 47. Family Gruip#. The Cranes. 161 (204). Grus americana (Linneus). Whooping crane. “Several years ago a specimen was killed on Cayuga Lake— Ifrank A. Ward” (Eaton, rgor). 48. Family Ratuipz. The Rails. 162 (208). Rallus elegans Audubon. King rail. Not an uncommon summer resident in the marshes at the north end of the basin. There is but one record of this species at the south end of the lake, an adult male shot November 29, 1901. 163 (212). Rallus virginianus Linneus. Virginia rail. Common summer resident in all the marshes throughout the basin. The average date of spring arrival is May 1, the earliest, April 24, 1904. They nest the last half of May and throughout June. The earliest date for nest is May 18, 1905. The latest date upon which nest and eggs have been found is July 9, 1906. They are abundant throughout September and the first half of October. All have usually departed by November 1. 164 (214). Porzana carolina (Linnzus). Sora. Common summer resident throughout the basin. The average date of spring arrival is May 1, the earliest, April 14, 1908. About the middle of October this species becomes exceedingly abundant and usually all have left by the last of the month. The nesting period is the same as for the preceding species. 165 (215). Coturnicops noveboracensis (Gmelin). Yellow rail. Mr. F. S. Wright, of Auburn, reports that two or three have been taken at the north end of the lake. One of them was a male shot at Meridian, N. Y., in 1897. 166 (219). Gallinula galeata (Lichtenstein). Florida gallinule. Fairly common summer resident in the marshes at the north end of the lake where it arrives the last of April. Ralph and Bagg?’ “Ralph, William L., and Bagg, Egbert, “ Annotated List of the Birds of Oneida County, N. Y., and Its Immediate Vicinity,” Trans. of the Oneida Historical Society, Vol. IL, p. tor, 1886. Digitized by Microsoft® 420 REED-WRIGHT—THE VERTEBRATES OF [October 1, recorded this species as very common in the marshes of Seneca River where they bred in great numbers. In recent years it has not been recorded near Ithaca. E. H. Eaton informs us that C. J. Pennock saw a female with young in the Renwick marshes in July, 1879. Cornell University has recently come into the possession of a collection of birds made near Ithaca in 1850. Among the skins is one of an adult male and one of a young individual in first plumage. 167 (221). Fulica americana Gmelin. Coot. Common transient the last of April and the first of May and an occasional summer resident in the marshes at both ends of the lake. On May 25, 1907, a nest containing five eggs was found in the west marsh at Ithaca. On June 1 it contained ten eggs and on June g, when it was last visited, the number was the same. During October this species is very common and departs usually by the last of the month. XXX. Order LIMICOL. The Shore Birds. 49. Family PuHataropopip&. The Phalaropes. 168 (222). Phalaropus fulicarius (Linnzeus). Red phalarope. Rare transient visitant. William Hopkins reported a specimen in 1854. In the collection of Cornell University there is a specimen of a male killed on Cayuga Lake October 18, 1885, by E. H. Sar- gent. 169 (223). Lobipes lobatus (Linnzus). Northern phalarope. In the collection of E. H. Eaton are two specimens, male and female, taken at Montezuma in 1895. In the collection of Cornell University is a specimen taken at Ithaca in 1850. 170 (224). Steganopus tricolor (Vieillot). Wilson’s phalarope. One specimen, a young individual, was obtained by L. A. Fuertes at Ithaca in the fall of 1892. 49a. Family Recurvirostrw#. The Avocets and Stilts. 170a (225). Recurvirostra americana Gmelin. Avocet. One specimen (C. U. 5219) was taken at Renwick, Santen 16, 1909, by Mr. A. A. Allen. Digitized by Microsoft® 1909.] THE CAYUGA LAKE BASIN, N. Y. 421 50. Family Scotopacip#. The Snipe. 171 (228). Philohela minor (Gmelin). Woodcock. Summer resident in moist areas throughout the basin. They arrive in the spring the last of March and leave in the fall during the first two weeks of November. The woodcock is slowly in- creasing in numbers about Ithaca. Mr. John Vann tells us that in the fall of 1908 all the individuals of several localities succeeded in migrating without any loss from shooting. He attributes the in- crease partly to the growth of cover in the uplands where they are found during the fall. 172 (230). Gallinago delicata (Ord). Wilson’s snipe. Common transient between April 12 and May 20. In 1908 one was recorded on April 3. They are most abundant during the latter part of April. Our autumn records fall between September 22 and November 18. The downy young were found at Meridian, N. Y., by E. G. Taber and F. S. Wright states that it is a rare breeder in the marshes at Cayuga. 173 (231). Macrorhamphus griseus (Gmelin). Dowitcher. There is a specimen in the collection of Foster Parker taken on Cayuga lake but without other data. From August 18 to 26, 1908 Foster Parker shot one and saw five others. 174 (233). Micropalama himantopus (Bonaparte). Stilt sandpiper. Foster Parker shot a specimen at Cayuga October 10, 1907, in a flock of red-backed sandpipers. August 25, 1908, E. H. Eaton took a specimen at Cayuga and two more on September 20. On Sep- tember 28, 1908, A. A. Allen and J. T. Lloyd shot a specimen at the north end of the lake. 175 (234). Tringa canutus Linneus. Knot. Two specimens were shot at Cayuga by Foster Porker, August 30, 1908. Mr. E. H. Eaton and Mr. L. A. Fuertes report them as frequently seen at Cayuga in the fall. It is altogether probable that this species is not an uncommon transient. 176 (239). Pisobia maculata (Vieillot). Pectoral sandpiper. Common transient at the north end of the lake but rare at the south end. L.A. Fuertes has taken one specimen at Ithaca on each Digitized by Microsoft® 422 REED-WRIGHT—THE VERTEBRATES OF _ [October 1, of the following dates: During the fall of 1892, August 13, 1899, and October 12, 1890. 177 (240). Pisobia fuscicollis (Vieillot). White-rumped sandpiper. One specimen taken at Montezuma October 12, 1906, by L. A. Fuertes. 178 (242). Pisobia minutilla (Vieillot). Least sandpiper. Common transient. Most common in spring from May 7 to 27. The latest fall record is October 12, 1906. Regarding the time of first appearance in the fall we have no data. 179 (243). Pelidna alpina sakhalina (Vieillot). Red-backed sand- piper. Common transient being most abundant in the fall during October. 180 (246). Ereunetes pusillus (Linneus). Semipalmated sand- piper Common transient. In the spring they are found all through May. In the fall they appear August 20 and leave November 1. They are most common during the first half of October. 181 (248). Calidris leucophea (Pallas). Sanderling. Specimens are frequently taken at both ends of the lake. It appears to be a fairly common transient in both spring and fall. 182 (251). Limosa hemastica (Linneus). Hudsonian godwit. “A rare spring and autumn migrant” (Auburn List). A speci- men was taken at Ithaca about November 5, 1878, by C. J. Pennock and mounted by R. B. Hough. 183 (254). Totanus melanoleucus (Gmelin). Greater yellow-legs. Transient. Fairly common from April 30 to May 20. It is com- mon in the fall during October. * 184 (255). Totanus flavipes (Gmelin). Yellow-legs. Common transient from May 10 to June 1, the earliest spring date being April 28, 1908. It is common in the fall during October. The latest fall date is November 10, 1900. 185 (256). Helodromas solitarius (Wilson). Solitary sandpiper. Common transient from April 28 to May 20 and July 14 to Sep- Digitized by Microsoft® 1909.] THE CAYUGA LAKE BASIN, N. Y. 423 tember 20. The average date of spring arrival is May 1, the earliest ' date being April 28, 1905. ’ 186 (258). Catoptrophorus semipalmatus (Gmelin). Willet. “A regular migrant. Three secured in the fall of 1876” (Au- burn List, p. 33). This species has not been recorded in recent years. 187 (261). Bartramia longicauda (Bechstein). Upland plover. The only record of this species which we have is a pair found breeding by Foster Parker during the summer of 1907. In the Auburn List (p. 33) it is spoken of as not an uncommon summer resident. 188 (263). Actitis macularia (Linneus). Spotted sandpiper. Common summer resident. The average date of spring arrival is April 24, the earliest, April 20, 1906. The active nesting period is from May 20to June 15. L.A. Fuertes reports that he has found nests with eggs as late as July 26 (1900). 189 (264). Numenius americanus Bechstein. Long-billed curlew. “ A regular but somewhat rare migrant” (‘‘ Auburn List,” p. 23). Not recorded in recent years. 190 (265). Numenius hudsonicus Latham. Hudsonian curlew. “Occurs irregularly during the migration. One specimen pre- served in the collection of the Phoenix Sportsman’s Club at Seneca Falls, N. Y. (“Auburn List,” p. 34). There is a specimen (C. U. 1158), in the collection of Cornell University taken at Union Springs in 1882. 51. Family Cuaraprip#. The Plovers. 191 (270). Squatarola squatarola (Linnzus). Black-bellied plover. Regular transient in the fall and occasionally in spring. On October 14, 1899, L. A. Fuertes shot a specimen at Ithaca which constitutes the only record for the south end of the basin. Mr. A. A. Allen and Mr. J. T. Lloyd reported it common at the north end of the lake on September 26, 1908. Our fall records all occur between September 20 and October 30. 192 (272). Charadrius dominicus Miller. Golden plover. The only record of this species is a specimen taken by E. H. Eaton and L. A. Fuertes at Cayuga, October 29, 1907. Digitized by Microsoft® 424 REED-WRIGHT—THE VERTEBRATES OF _ [October 1, 193 (273). Oxyechus vociferus (Linneus). Killdeer. Common transient and not uncommon summer resident from March 12 to November 15. It is most abundant in the fall. 194 (274). Aigialitis semipalmata Bonaparte. Semipalmated plover. Transient. Uncommon in the spring, fairly common in the fall from August 15 to September 30. 52. Family Apurizipz. The Turnstones. 195 (283a). Arenaria interpres morinella (Linnzeus). Turnstone. Mr. L. A. Fuertes took a specimen at Ithaca June 3, 1906 and Foster Parker reports several taken at Cayuga. XXXI. Order GALLINA. The Gallinaceous Birds. 52a. Family OpoNTopHoRIDz. The Quail. 196 (289). Colinus virginianus (Linnzus). Bob-white. Common permanent resident. It is very scarce all along the eastern part of the basin. 53. Family Tetraonip#. The Grouse. 197 (300). Bonasa umbellus (Linnzus). Ruffed grouse. Common permanent resident. All of our nesting records fall between April 20 and May 15. XXXII. Order COLUMBA. The Doves. 54. Family Cotumzipz. The Pigeons. 198 (315). Ectopistes migratorius (Linnzus). Wild pigeon. Formerly abundant. None have been recorded here since 1892 when “A few were seen in Ithaca—L. A. F.” (Eaton, p. 32). 199 (316). Zenaidura macroura carolinensis (Linneus). Mourn- ing dove. Common summer resident. The average date of spring arrival is April 1, the earliest, March 8, 1890. Nest building has been found to begin as early as April 15 and eggs have been found until June Digitized by Microsoft® 1909-] THE CAYUGA LAKE BASIN, N. Y. 425 18. In the Renwick marshes they nest in colonies varying from three or four to a dozen pairs. The nests are frequently only a few feet apart, built upon stumps, brush piles, logs and heaps of debris. XXXIII. Order RAPTORES. The Birds of Prey. 55. Family CatuHartip#. The American vultures. 200 (325). Cathartes aura septentrionalis (Wied). Turkey vulture. Mr. C. J. Hampton saw eight individuals hovering above a rank woodchuck on July 1, 1900, at Cosad, N. Y. One specimen was shot. On June 20, 1908, Mr. J. T. Lloyd reported one from the Renwick flats at Ithaca. 56. Family Butzonip®. The Hawks and Eagles. 201 (331). Circus hudsonius (Linnzus). Marsh hawk. Common summer resident. The average date of spring arrival is March 27, the earliest being March 25, 1906. They remain in Autumn until the last of October, the latest fall record being Octo- ber 28, 1908. The only nesting records of this species which we have are: a nest and eggs found May 27, 1904, and a nest with five young found June 29, 1906. 202 (332). Accipiter velox (Wilson). Sharp-shinned hawk. Common summer resident and occasionally taken in winter. It is common from the last of March until the first of November. The only breeding record is a nest of young which took wing on July 16, 1906. 203 (333). Accipiter cooperi (Bonaparte). Cooper’s hawk. Common summer resident, more abundant in the fall. The aver- age date of spring arrival is March 25, the earliest, March 17, 1907. They remain in the fall until November 1. 204 (334). Astur atricapillus (Wilson). Goshawk. Uncommon winter visitant. A specimen was taken near West Candor, November 26, 1907, by C. S. Gridley. Mr. Fuertes reports that he sees one or more every winter. It is recorded in the Auburn List as an “ uncommon winter visitor.” PROC. AMER. PHIL. SOC., XLVIII. I93 CC, PRINTED JANUARY 7, IQIo. Digitized by Microsoft® 426 REED-WRIGHT—THE VERTEBRATES OF _ [October 1, 205 (337). Buteo borealis (Gmelin). Red-tailed hawk. Commion resident species. 206 (339). Buteo lineatus (Gmelin). Red-shouldered hawk. Common resident species and more common in winter than the preceding species. The earliest nesting date recorded is April 26, 1905. 207 (343). Buteo platypterus (Vieillot). Broad-winged hawk. Uncommon summer resident. The earliest spring record, March 16, 1906. 208 (3472). Archibuteo lagopus sancti-johannis (Gmelin). Rough- legged hawk. : Regular but not common winter visitant from Jan. 1 to April I. 209 (352). Haliaetus leucocephalus (Linneus). Bald eagle. Not common permanent resident. It is more frequently seen in the spring and fall. It bred formerly near Crowbar point and still breeds in the vicinity of Union Springs. 56a. Family Fatconipz. The Falcons. 210 (356). Falco peregrinus anatum (Bonaparte). Duck hawk. Rare transient during spring and fall. 211 (357). Falco columbarius Linneus. Pigeon hawk. Uncommon transient. 212 (360). Falco sparverius Linneus. Sparrow hawk. Common summer resident from March 15 to November 15 and occasionally taken in winter. 566. Family Panpionip#. The Fish Hawks. 213 (364). Pandion haliaétus carolinensis (Gmelin). Osprey. Common transient during May and October. Several are seen every year during the summer months but we have no evidence that they nest within the basin. The average date of spring arrival is April 12, the earliest, April 5, 1901, 1902 and 1906. Migrants begin to arrive in the fall.about September 20. They are common from the last of September to the middle of October. The latest fall record is a female killed October 25, 1899. Digitized by Microsoft® 1909-] THE CAYUGA LAKE BASIN, N. Y. 427 57. Family Atuconipa. The Barn Owls. 214 (365). Aluco pratincola (Bonaparte). Barn owl. The barn owl has been recorded within the basin at various intervals since 1880 at which time Foster Parker reports one taken at Cayuga. On December 13, 1885, one was taken at Auburn by F. J. Stupp. Another was taken by L. O. Asbury September 23, 1900, at Sennett and on December 1, 1904, a specimen was shot near South Danby. Mr. Samuel Tisdel, of Ithaca, has in his possession a mounted specimen taken near Ithaca in the fall of 1907. He states that during the fall of that year three others taken near Ithaca were brought to his shop to be mounted. On June 6, 1908, A. A. Allen and J. T. Lloyd saw one in the Renwick Marshes. November 27, 1908, one was killed in Michigan Hollow in the extreme southern portion of the basin. There is little doubt that this species is in- creasing in the lake basin. 58. Family Stricipm. The Owls. 215 (366). Asio wilsonianus (Lesson). Long-eared owl. Common permanent resident. The only breeding record which we have is a nest containing eggs found April 9, 1905. 216 (367). Asio flammeus (Pontoppidan). Short-eared owl. A resident species. Common in summer at the north end of the basin, uncommon in the southern portion. : 217 (368). Stryx varia Barton. Barred owl. Uncommon resident. 218 (372). Cryptoglaux acadicus (Gmelin). Saw-whet owl. Rare. “ Adult male taken July 18, 1878. Two specimens re- ceived, taken in Cayuga Co., April 14, 1877, and November, 1878” (“ Auburn List,” p. 27). A female was taken at Sennett January 25, 1904, by Charles Lyon and one was taken at Ithaca January 16, 1908, by A. A. Allen and J. T. Lloyd. 219 (373). Otus asio (Linnzus). Screech owl. Abundant permanent resident. 220 (375). Bubo virginianus (Gmelin). Great horned owl. Uncommon permanent resident. Digitized by Microsoft® 428 REED-WRIGHT—THE VERTEBRATES OF _ [October 1, 221 (376). Nyctea nyctea (Linneus). Snowy owl. Irregular winter visitant. In the collection of Cornell University are three specimens from this basin taken as follows: winter of 1878 at Aurora, December 12, 1890, at Covert, February 22, 1902 at Newfield. 222 (377@). Surnia ulula caparoch (Miller). Hawk owl. The only record of this species is a male taken by L. O. Ash- bury at Conquest, November 23, 1902. Two birds were seen and one captured. XXXIV. Order COCCYGES. The Cuckoo-like Birds. 59. Family Cucutip#. The Cuckoos. 223 (387). Coccyzus americanus (Linnzus). Yellow-billed cuckoo. Common summer resident. The average date of spring arrival is May 10, the earliest, May 6, 1905. 224 (388). Coccyzus erythrophthalmus (Wilson). Black-billed Cuckoo. Common summer resident. The average date of spring arrival is May 9, the earliest, April 24, 1904. 60. Family ALcepinip#. The Kingfishers. 225 (390). Ceryle alcyon (Linnzus). Belted kingfisher. Common summer resident. On December 23, 1874, a female was taken at Ithaca and on January 15, 1905, one individual was seen near an open stream in the Renwick wood at Ithaca. The average date of spring arrival is April 4, the earliest, March 17, 1907. It is common in the fall until the middle of October. By the 25th of this month all have usually disappeared. XXXV. Order PICI. The Woodpeckers. 61. Family Pico“. The Woodpeckers. 226 (393). Dryobates villosus (Linnzeus). Hairy woodpecker. Common resident species. Digitized by Microsoft® 1909.] THE CAYUGA LAKE BASIN,,N. Y. 429 227 (394c). Dryobates pubescens medianus (Swainson). Downy woodpecker. Common permanent resident. The active season of nesting is from May 10 to June 15. The earliest record of nesting is May 6, 1904. Our earliest record of young on the wing is June 9, 1904. 228 (400). Picoides articus (Swainson). Arctic three-toed wood- pecker. , An occasional winter visitant. Specimens were taken at Ithaca during the winter of 1895-6 and on November 1, Igor, by L. A. Fuertes. A female was taken October 19, 1901, at Sennett by L. O. Ashbury. 229 (402). Sphyrapicus varius (Linneus). Yellow-bellied sap- sucker. Common transient and “ reported as breeding in Cayuga, Yates and Oneida Counties” (Eaton). The average date of spring ar- rival is April 10, the earliest, March 30, 1908. They become com- mon the last of April and the first of May. The latest date upon which individuals have been seen at Ithaca is May 26, 1900. Usu- ally all have left by May 15. They appear in the fall from Sep- tember 20 to November 1. The latest fall record is one seen Nov- ember 27, 1908. 230 (406). Melanerpes erythrocephalus (Linneus). Red-headed woodpecker. Rare in winter but becomes common about May 5. The only nesting records which we have are eggs found June 13, 1903, and May 16, 1907. 231 (409). Centurus carolinus (Linneus). Red-bellied wood- pecker. Rare. There are in the collection of Cornell University three specimens taken near Ithaca. One in 1850, another in 1858 and a third taken by L. A. Fuertes in November, 1894. Mr. G. C. Em- body took a female in a small swamp just north of Auburn, March 4, 1808. 232 (412a). Colaptes auratus luteus Bangs. Northern flicker. Common summer resident and occasionally present in winter. Digitized by Microsoft® 430 REED-WRIGHT—THE VERTEBRATES OF _ [October 1, Migrants begin to arrive the last of March from which time it is common until October 20. Frequently many are seen as late as the first of December. XXXVI. Order MACROCHIRES. « The Goatsuckers, Swifts and Hummingbirds. 62. Family CapRImMuLGID2. The Goatsuckers. 233 (417). Antrostomus vociferus (Wilson). Whip-poor-will. Common summer resident in the basin from May 1 to September 1. In the region about Ithaca it is very uncommon. The latest that it has been observed in the fall is October 7, 1907. The earliest spring record is April 29, 1906. 234 (420). Chordeiles virginianus (Gmelin). Nighthawk. Common summer resident. The average date of spring arrival is May 19, the earliest, May 15, 1906. 63. Family Micropopip#. The Swifts. 235 (423). Chaetura pelagica (Linnzus). Chimney swift. Abundant summer resident. The average date of spring arrival is April 23, the earliest, April 19, 1889. Nests with eggs are found from May 20 to July 5. Usually all have departed in the fall by October I. 64. Family TRocu1Lipz. The Hummingbirds. 236 (428). Archilochus colubris (Linneus). Ruby-throated hum- mingbird. Common summer resident from May 10, the average date of spring arrival, to September 10. Nesting dates all fall between May 23 and July 21. The crest of the nesting season is between June 15 and 30. XXXVII. Order PASSERES. The Perching Birds. 65. Family Tyrannip&. The Flycatchers. 237 (444). Tyrannus tyrannus (Linneus). Kingbird. Common summer resident. The average date of spring arrival is May 6, the earliest, May 3, 1902. They nest the very last of May and during June. Digitized by Microsoft® 1909.] THE CAYUGA LAKE BASIN, N. Y. 431 238 (452). Myiarchus crinitus (Linneus). Crested flycatcher. Common summer resident. The average date of spring arrival is May 4, the earliest, May 1, 1900. Nesting begins the last of May and lasts through June. 239 (4560). Sayornis phoebe (Latham). Pheebe. Abundant summer resident along the streams and lake shores. The average date of spring arrival is March 20, the earliest, March 9, 1899. During the first half of October they depart for the south, latest record being October 19, 1902. Nesting begins April 20 and continues through May and June. The earliest nesting record is April 13, 1901. The latest date for eggs is a nest found June 21, 1900. 240 (459). Nuttallornis borealis (Swainson). Olive-sided fly- catcher. Rare. A specimen was taken in Fall creek gorge by L. A. Fuertes May 11, 1905. G. C. Embody took a male at the north end of the lake May 30, 1808. 241 (461). Myiochanes virens (Linnzeus). Wood pewee. Abundant summer resident. The average date of spring arrival is May 13, the earliest, May 1, 1900. They nest throughout the month of June. 242 (463). Empidonax flaviventris Baird. Yellow-bellied fly- catcher. The definite records are three specimens, two males and one female taken at Ithaca by R. B. Hough on May 29, 1882, and several taken in the vicinity of Waterloo and reported by E. H. Eaton. A few are reported seen each year between May 15 and June ro. 243 (4662). Empidonax traillii alnorum Brewster. Alder fly- catcher. Uncommon transient and rare summer resident. The average date of spring arrival is May 14, the earliest, May 4, 1905. The yellow-bellied and the alder are the last flycatchers to arrive in the spring, the latter loitering along into June. In 1906 it was found until June 9 in the willow and alder thickets along the west side of the Renwick marshes. L. A. Fuertes reports it as breeding at Cay- Digitized by Microsoft® 432 REED-WRIGHT—THE VERTEBRATES OF _ [October 1, uta, N. Y., just outside the Cayuga basin on the southwest.