﻿r68 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Brigham 
  "^ 
  states, 
  we 
  may 
  include 
  Chautauqua 
  the 
  most 
  western 
  lake 
  

   in 
  the 
  state 
  and 
  regard 
  the 
  whole 
  as 
  the 
  Otisco-Chantauqua 
  series. 
  

   However, 
  when 
  the 
  Finger-lakes 
  are 
  referred 
  to, 
  the 
  limits 
  in 
  the 
  

   first 
  statement 
  are 
  regarded 
  as 
  being 
  essentially 
  correct. 
  The 
  pres- 
  

   ent 
  study 
  includes 
  only 
  the 
  series 
  of 
  lakes 
  that 
  find 
  drainage 
  through 
  

   the 
  Seneca-Oswego 
  river 
  ; 
  or, 
  from 
  Honeoye 
  lake 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  to 
  

   Skaneateles 
  lake 
  on 
  the 
  east. 
  Generally 
  speaking, 
  the 
  lakes 
  are 
  

   approximately 
  parallel 
  in 
  the 
  direction 
  of 
  their 
  longer 
  axes, 
  which 
  

   trend 
  north 
  and 
  south 
  ; 
  but, 
  more 
  accurately 
  speaking, 
  they 
  converge 
  

   toward 
  a 
  common 
  locus, 
  in 
  the 
  Canadian 
  territory, 
  just 
  north 
  of 
  

   Lake 
  Ontario. 
  The 
  entire 
  series, 
  in 
  which 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  dozen 
  lakes- 
  

   are 
  included, 
  is 
  drained 
  by 
  two 
  streams 
  tributary 
  to 
  the 
  St 
  

   Lawrence 
  system. 
  The 
  most 
  westerly 
  ones 
  find 
  drainage 
  into 
  Lake 
  

   Ontario 
  through 
  the 
  Genesee 
  river, 
  while 
  the 
  remaining 
  and 
  most 
  

   easterly 
  ones 
  are 
  drained 
  through 
  the 
  Seneca-Oswego 
  river, 
  which 
  

   enters 
  Lake 
  Ontario 
  considerably 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Genesee. 
  Lakes 
  Cayuga 
  

   and 
  Seneca 
  drain 
  through 
  the 
  latter 
  channel, 
  emerging 
  as 
  very 
  

   sluggish 
  waters, 
  and 
  meandering 
  through 
  a 
  large 
  area 
  of 
  low 
  and 
  

   swampy 
  land. 
  This 
  is 
  especially 
  true 
  of 
  the 
  Cayuga 
  outlet. 
  The 
  

   side 
  streams 
  entering 
  the 
  Finger-lakes 
  are 
  characterized 
  by 
  water- 
  

   falls 
  which 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  are 
  of 
  considerable 
  height. 
  The 
  stream 
  

   gradients 
  are 
  prevailingly 
  steep 
  for 
  the 
  middle 
  and 
  southern 
  por- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  the 
  valleys, 
  but 
  become 
  very 
  much 
  less 
  precipitous 
  as 
  the 
  

   lake 
  outlets 
  are 
  approached. 
  

  

  Direction 
  of 
  flow 
  of 
  the 
  streams 
  occupying 
  the 
  valleys 
  of 
  

   Lakes 
  Cayuga 
  and 
  Seneca 
  in 
  preglacial 
  times 
  

  

  Preglacial 
  Cayuga 
  and 
  Seneca 
  were 
  argued 
  by 
  some 
  earlier 
  writers- 
  

   to 
  be 
  occupied 
  by 
  south 
  flowing 
  streams, 
  and 
  were 
  given 
  as 
  tribu- 
  

   taries 
  to 
  the 
  Chemung-Susquehanna 
  drainage. 
  The 
  later- 
  writers, 
  

   almost 
  without 
  exception, 
  have 
  believed 
  them 
  to 
  be 
  north 
  flowing,, 
  

   entering 
  as 
  tributaries 
  to 
  the 
  St 
  Lawrence 
  system. 
  

  

  One 
  has 
  only 
  to 
  visit 
  the 
  divide 
  region 
  parting 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  the 
  

   two 
  systems, 
  to 
  be 
  convinced 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  case 
  of 
  head-water 
  erosion 
  

   forming 
  a 
  most 
  typical 
  system 
  of 
  interlocking 
  drainage. 
  It 
  can 
  

   hardly 
  be 
  doubted 
  that 
  the 
  Laurentian 
  tributaries 
  were 
  the 
  stronger 
  

   streams 
  and 
  therefore 
  encroached 
  upon 
  the 
  territory 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  

  

  a 
  Brigham, 
  A. 
  P., 
  Bull. 
  Am. 
  geogr. 
  soc, 
  1893, 
  p. 
  25,4. 
  

  

  