The Productivity of Fish Food in Oneida Lake 37 



more or less shifting and ripple marks are formed. In this 

 kind of a habitat life is usually scarce. On the boulder points 

 and along some shores the sand is also of a shifting nature. 

 On the west side of Lower South Bay, the sand bordering the 

 shore is more or less mixed with marly clay, which forms a 

 binding medium. The total area of sand bottom in Lower 

 South Bay is estimated to be upwards of 85 acres in extent. 



Outside of the bay some sand bottom territory occurs. At 

 the west end of Dunham Island, between this land and French- 

 man Island, a sand area of about 38 acres occurs, the water 

 ranging from two to four feet deep. Only a small portion of 

 this territory is shown on the map. Sand also borders the 

 lakeward side of the boulder area bordering the south shore 

 of the lake east of Norcross Point in water from four to six 

 feet deep. Sand is mixed with gravel in the area dredged 

 between the main land and Dunham Island in water 14-15 

 feet deep. 



Clay Bottom Areas. A rather stiff clay occurs abundantly 

 in several localities, especially in the west end of Lower South 

 Bay, where there is an area extending from Short Point around 

 the bay eastward to Thierre's landing, a distance of nearly 

 7,500 feet, and approximating 4,007,500 square feet, or about 

 92 acres. A small portion of this area west of Thierre's land- 

 ing, embracing some 220,000 square feet (about five acres) is 

 more or less mixed with fine sand. Typical clay was noted 

 only in the west and southwest part of the bay. Clay bottom 

 occurs in water from two to seven feet deep. In most places 

 there is no sharp line of demarcation between the different 

 types of bottom soil — sand, clay, mud, etc. — the coarser grad- 

 ing into the finer without marked break. The boulder and 

 gravel areas, however, frequently change suddenly into sand 

 areas, especially when the water rapidly deepens or when the 

 gravel or boulder area extends to the edge of a barrier, as a 

 point of land. Such occur on Long Point and Short Point. 



Mud Bottom Areas. Over the deeper part of the bay, 

 beyond the 6- foot contour, the bottom is covered with a soft, 

 black mud. The bottom of the small protected bays bordering 



