6 THE NAUTILUS. 



bold character of the land in the vicinity of the Finger Lake 

 region farther south, where lakes Cayuga, Seneca, etc., lie in 

 preglacial rock-cut valleys. The general depression of the 

 country immediately surrounding the lake produces low, 

 swampy shores on many parts of the lake, especially at the 

 east and west ends. Large swamp areas occur in Big Bay, 

 Maple Bay, west of Constantia, and at the east end where Fish 

 Creek enters the lake. 



Oneida Lake is the largest inland body of water in the State, 

 having an approximate area of 80 square miles and a shore line 

 of approximately 65 miles. The areas bordering the shores 

 are always shallow and usually deepen rather abruptly, forming 

 in many places submerged terraces of greater or less width. 

 These terraces are either sandy or bouldery in character, usually 

 the latter, the rough water washing out the fine particles and 

 removing them to the quieter bays and protected areas near the 

 points. For this reason the points are always stony and 

 bouldery and the bays sandy. A notable fact is the almost 

 total absence of mud on the shores of the west end of the lake, 

 mud areas being confined to a few small spots, principally at 

 the mouth of small creeks. The shallow zones bordering the 

 shores, 6 feet or less in depth, are from 200 to 1600 feet in 

 width, and the approximate area of shallow water within the 6- 

 foot contour is estimated to be upwards of 6f square miles or 

 8 per cent, of the entire area. This is significant when it is 

 remembered that this shallow zone is nearly all covered with 

 vegetation and is the area which supports all of the animal life 

 and affords breeding grounds for the majority of the fishes in 

 the lake. If we include the bottom area enclosed by the 12-foot 

 contour, below which little or no vegetation lives, we find the 

 total approximate area to be 8366 square acres (13 square 

 miles), which afford feeding grounds for fish and other aquatic 

 animals. The west end of the lake, which is the only part at 

 present investigated, is very shallow, scarcely exceeding 20 feet 

 in depth beyond Frenchman Island. 



The noteworthy species are Physa ancillaria warreniana, Plan- 

 whis binneyi, and Lymnsea stagnalis lillia'nse, which appear to be 

 new records for the State. These species are common in Toma- 



