184 W. D. FUNKHOUSEK 



west side, flowing northeastward and emptying into the lake below 

 Taughannock Falls; and Salmon Creek, on the east side, flowing south- 

 westward and joining the lake just below the village of Ludlowvillc. 

 All of these creeks are small and comparatively shallow, but the drainage 

 area which they represent is considerable, including nearly two thousand 

 square miles. 



The actual catch basin is narrow at the northern end and wide at the 

 southern, as shown in figvn-e 36. This figure is taken from Reed and 

 Wright (1909)\ and is admirably suited to the needs of this study since 

 it has been carefully compiled with special reference to faunal distribution. 

 The basin is about sixty-five miles in length, and varies in width from 

 aboiit eight miles at the northern end of the lake to nearly thirty miles at 

 its widest southern part, where the extension of Fall Creek gives an 

 additional drainage area to the northeast. At its northern extremity the 

 basin gradually merges into the flat plain which extends to Lake Ontario. 



In the valley proper the elevation averages about four hundred feet 

 above sea level. The surrounding hills rise from two hundred to one 

 thousand feet, with occasional higher elevations such as Connecticut Hill 

 (2095 feet). South Hill (1732 feet), and Turkey Hill (1460 feet), which 

 are more or less mountainous in character; all of these are included in this 

 report as part of the basin. 



Geologically the lake is believed to have been a preglacial river channel 

 which was deepened and widened by glacial action. The terminal moraine 

 extends irregularly south of the basin. The tributaries flowing into the 

 lake from the east and from the west have cut narrow postglacial gorges 

 into the lake valley. The gorges are generally clean-cut, with pre- 

 cipitous sides, and descend abruptly toward the lake, the fall in the last 

 mile often being three or four hundred feet. Commenting on this fact, 

 Dudley (1886 :x) states: 



The true gorges are probably without exception, of recent or post-glacial origin, the walls 

 are frequently of perpendicular or overhanging rock from fifty to two hundred feet, or even 

 much higher, as in Taughannock and Enfield ravines. Within these great chasms are usually 

 falls or cascades, some of them exceedingly beautiful and of considerable height. 



The physiography of the entire region is extremely rugged and irregular 

 (fig. 37), and affords some of the most picturesque scenery to be found in 

 the State. 



1 Dates in parenthesis refer to bibliography, pages 433-445. 



