﻿6 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  details 
  can 
  seldom 
  be 
  brought 
  in 
  except 
  for 
  illustration 
  of 
  certain 
  

   important 
  points, 
  and 
  of 
  necessity 
  many 
  questions 
  will 
  occur 
  to 
  

   readers 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  natural, 
  features 
  of 
  their 
  home 
  regions 
  

   which 
  are 
  not 
  directly 
  answered. 
  It 
  is 
  hoped, 
  however, 
  that 
  most 
  

   of 
  the 
  important 
  and 
  striking 
  geographic 
  features 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   State 
  are 
  explained, 
  and 
  that 
  many 
  local 
  details 
  will 
  find 
  ready 
  

   explanation 
  by 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  the 
  principles 
  set 
  forth. 
  

  

  Emphasis 
  is 
  here 
  placed 
  upon 
  the 
  genesis 
  of 
  geographic 
  forms. 
  

   It 
  is 
  one 
  thing 
  merely 
  to 
  state 
  a 
  geographic 
  fact, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  location 
  

   of 
  a 
  mountain 
  or 
  lake 
  or 
  valley, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  far 
  different 
  thing 
  to 
  

   explain 
  how 
  the 
  mountain 
  or 
  lake 
  or 
  valley 
  came 
  to 
  be 
  there. 
  Every 
  

   geographic 
  form 
  has 
  a 
  history, 
  and 
  if 
  we 
  fail 
  to 
  appreciate 
  that 
  

   history 
  we 
  lose 
  the 
  most 
  interesting 
  and 
  valuable 
  part 
  of 
  our 
  geo- 
  

   graphic 
  training. 
  Geographic 
  facts, 
  like 
  all 
  others, 
  are 
  more 
  easily 
  

   understood 
  and 
  remembered 
  when 
  the 
  reasons 
  for 
  their 
  existence 
  are 
  

   given, 
  yet 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  admitted 
  that 
  the 
  teaching 
  of 
  such 
  rational 
  

   geography 
  is 
  still 
  in 
  its 
  infancy 
  in 
  the 
  schools 
  of 
  this 
  State. 
  

  

  The 
  use 
  of 
  a 
  certain 
  number 
  of 
  scientific 
  terms 
  is 
  unavoidable 
  

   in 
  practice, 
  but 
  common 
  terms 
  only 
  are 
  employed 
  and 
  in 
  every 
  

   case 
  these 
  are 
  carefully 
  explained 
  when 
  first 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  text. 
  

   Particular 
  attention 
  is 
  directed 
  to 
  the 
  photographs, 
  maps 
  and 
  

   diagrams, 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  nave 
  been 
  carefully 
  selected 
  or 
  made 
  for 
  

   the 
  express 
  purpose 
  of 
  illustrating 
  this 
  text. 
  Except 
  for 
  some 
  

   quotations, 
  references 
  to 
  original 
  papers 
  have 
  been 
  omitted, 
  but 
  at 
  

   the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  volume 
  a 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  books 
  and 
  

   papers 
  of 
  general 
  interest 
  is 
  given, 
  and 
  anyone 
  desiring 
  to 
  broaden 
  

   into 
  wider 
  fields 
  or 
  greater 
  details 
  can 
  readily 
  do 
  so 
  with 
  the 
  aid 
  

   of 
  those 
  references. 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  used 
  many 
  personal 
  observations 
  made 
  during 
  travels 
  into 
  

   almost 
  every 
  county 
  of 
  the 
  State, 
  but 
  obviously 
  the 
  book 
  could 
  

   never 
  have 
  been 
  written 
  were 
  it 
  not 
  for 
  scores 
  of 
  devoted 
  men 
  of 
  

   science 
  who, 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  hundred 
  years, 
  have 
  zealously 
  labored 
  

   to 
  unravel 
  the 
  natural 
  history 
  of 
  our 
  great 
  Commonwealth. 
  1 
  

   gratefully 
  acknowledge 
  my 
  indebtedness 
  to 
  them 
  all. 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  under 
  particular 
  obligation 
  to 
  Dr 
  J. 
  M. 
  Clarke, 
  our 
  able 
  

   and 
  efficient 
  State 
  Geologist 
  and 
  Director 
  of 
  Science, 
  for 
  his 
  kind- 
  

   ness 
  in 
  critically 
  reading 
  the 
  manuscript 
  and 
  making 
  important 
  

   corrections 
  and 
  suggestions. 
  

  

  W. 
  J. 
  M. 
  

  

  Hamilton 
  College, 
  Clinton, 
  N. 
  Y. 
  

  

  