﻿INTRODUCTORY 
  NOTE 
  

  

  Around 
  the 
  shores 
  of 
  Lakes 
  Cayuga, 
  Seneca 
  and 
  others 
  of 
  the 
  

   Finger-lake 
  group 
  of 
  central 
  J^ew 
  York, 
  are 
  various 
  terraces, 
  

   ch'nging 
  to 
  the 
  hillsides 
  and 
  standing 
  at 
  different 
  levels. 
  These 
  are 
  

   so 
  pronounced 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  among 
  the 
  first 
  features 
  to 
  attract 
  the 
  

   eye 
  of 
  the 
  geologist 
  who 
  enters 
  these 
  valleys. 
  Almost 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  

   1 
  came 
  to 
  Ithaca 
  in 
  1892, 
  I 
  saw 
  plainly, 
  what 
  otheis 
  had 
  previously 
  

   noted, 
  that 
  these 
  terraces 
  represented 
  former 
  water 
  levels. 
  Their 
  

   form 
  and 
  structure 
  was 
  clear 
  proof 
  of 
  this. 
  It 
  seemed 
  to 
  me 
  that 
  

   there 
  was 
  here 
  a 
  very 
  nice 
  problem 
  for 
  stndent 
  work 
  ; 
  and 
  while 
  I 
  

   have 
  made 
  numerous 
  observations 
  in 
  the 
  district 
  since 
  first 
  coming 
  

   to' 
  it, 
  no 
  attempt 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  by 
  me 
  to 
  work 
  out 
  the 
  lake 
  history 
  

   in 
  detail. 
  At 
  first 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  problem 
  was 
  not 
  fully 
  understood, 
  

   and 
  in 
  1892 
  Mr 
  J. 
  B. 
  MacIIarg 
  jr, 
  did 
  some 
  work 
  upon 
  it, 
  

   but 
  reached 
  no 
  definite 
  results. 
  Later, 
  in 
  the 
  autumn 
  of 
  1893, 
  and 
  

   the 
  spring 
  of 
  1894 
  a 
  senior 
  at 
  Cornell 
  university, 
  Mr 
  R. 
  F. 
  Liv- 
  

   ingstone, 
  undertook 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  lower 
  shore 
  lines 
  and 
  

   wrote 
  his 
  graduating 
  thesis 
  upon 
  this 
  subject 
  under 
  the 
  title, 
  

   " 
  Origin 
  of 
  the 
  Cayuga 
  valley 
  terraces." 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  now 
  deposited 
  in 
  the 
  library 
  of 
  Cornell 
  university. 
  Other 
  

   students 
  have 
  also 
  done 
  some 
  work 
  upon 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  problem. 
  

  

  In 
  1894 
  Dr 
  Watson 
  undertook 
  the 
  investigation 
  of 
  these 
  terraces 
  

   as 
  graduate 
  work 
  leading 
  toward 
  the 
  degree 
  of 
  doctor 
  of 
  philosophy, 
  

   finishing 
  the 
  field 
  work 
  in 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1897. 
  So 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  general 
  

   results 
  of 
  this 
  work 
  are 
  concerned, 
  a 
  supervision 
  of 
  the 
  work 
  which 
  

   he 
  undertook 
  satisfies 
  me 
  that 
  Dr 
  Watson 
  has 
  brought 
  out 
  some 
  

   very 
  valuable 
  results. 
  This 
  supervision 
  also 
  leads 
  me 
  to 
  accept 
  

   all 
  of 
  the 
  details 
  of 
  observation, 
  though 
  of 
  course 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  

   attempted 
  to 
  verify 
  each 
  of 
  them. 
  That 
  he 
  has 
  not 
  finished 
  

   the 
  investigation 
  is 
  no 
  fault 
  of 
  his. 
  The 
  solution 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  

   question 
  reaches 
  far 
  beyond 
  the 
  district 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  larger 
  Finger 
  

   lakes, 
  and 
  to 
  work 
  out 
  the 
  full 
  history 
  might 
  very 
  likely 
  mean 
  the 
  

   study 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  Great 
  Lake 
  history. 
  As 
  it 
  stands, 
  

   Dr 
  Watson's 
  paper 
  constitutes 
  a 
  distinct 
  contribution 
  to 
  the 
  

   Pleistocene 
  history 
  of 
  central 
  New 
  York. 
  

  

  Ralph 
  S. 
  Tabr 
  

   Cornell 
  university, 
  Ithaca, 
  iV. 
  Y. 
  

  

  Makch 
  8, 
  1898 
  

  

  