﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  3 
  I 
  

  

  tribution 
  of 
  plants 
  and 
  animals, 
  which 
  properly 
  determines 
  the 
  boundaries 
  

   of 
  the 
  life 
  zones, 
  agrees 
  so 
  nearly 
  with 
  the 
  limits 
  determined 
  by 
  these 
  laws 
  

   of 
  temperature 
  control 
  that 
  the 
  boundaries 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  maps 
  of 
  the 
  

   Biological 
  Survey 
  have 
  been 
  fixed 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  temperature. 
  This, 
  

   while 
  accurate 
  in 
  general, 
  is 
  slightly 
  misleading 
  when 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  dis- 
  

   tribution 
  of 
  birds 
  and 
  mammals 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  State, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   peculiar 
  conditions 
  obtaining. 
  

  

  New 
  York 
  is 
  so 
  situated 
  topographically 
  that 
  it 
  neither 
  connects 
  inti- 
  

   mately 
  with 
  the 
  Boreal 
  zone 
  on 
  the 
  north 
  nor 
  with 
  the 
  Upper 
  Austral 
  on 
  

   the 
  south. 
  The 
  Adirondacks 
  are 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  main 
  Canadian 
  zone 
  

   by 
  lowlands 
  of 
  less 
  than 
  500 
  feet 
  elevation 
  which 
  are 
  typically 
  Alleghanian 
  

   in 
  fauna. 
  The 
  coastal 
  region, 
  Staten 
  Island, 
  Long 
  Island, 
  and 
  the 
  Lower 
  

   Hudson 
  valley, 
  is 
  practically 
  or 
  nearly 
  shut 
  off 
  from 
  the 
  southern 
  coastal 
  

   plain 
  by 
  the 
  encroachment 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  Jersey 
  highlands 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  tidal 
  

   waters, 
  which 
  though 
  not 
  wholly 
  efficient 
  as 
  barriers, 
  nevertheless 
  check 
  

   to 
  an 
  appreciable 
  extent 
  the 
  influx 
  of 
  the 
  usually 
  sedentary 
  species 
  or 
  less 
  

   ambitious 
  migrants 
  of 
  the 
  Carolinian 
  fauna. 
  The 
  Hudson 
  valley, 
  extend- 
  

   ing 
  northward 
  between 
  two 
  highlands 
  of 
  Boreal 
  affinities, 
  is 
  still 
  further 
  

   cut 
  off 
  from 
  easy 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  Carolinian 
  area 
  by 
  the 
  extension 
  of 
  

   the 
  Hudson 
  highlands 
  diagonally 
  across 
  the 
  valley. 
  The 
  lowland 
  of 
  western 
  

   New 
  York 
  is 
  practically 
  shut 
  off 
  from 
  direct 
  communication 
  to 
  the 
  south- 
  

   ward 
  with 
  the 
  Carolinian 
  area 
  by 
  the 
  broad 
  northern 
  expansion 
  of 
  the 
  

   Alleghany 
  plateau 
  which 
  extends 
  westward 
  from 
  the 
  Catskills 
  entirely 
  

   across 
  the 
  southern 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  bordering 
  on 
  Pennsylvania. 
  Thus 
  

   the 
  only 
  efficient 
  connection 
  of 
  this 
  lowland 
  with 
  the 
  Upper 
  Austral 
  is 
  by 
  

   a 
  narrow 
  strip 
  along 
  Lake 
  Erie, 
  and 
  through 
  southern 
  Ontario 
  and 
  Michigan. 
  

   For 
  this 
  reason 
  the 
  Carolinian 
  birds 
  which 
  breed 
  in 
  the 
  Lake 
  Ontario 
  low- 
  

   land 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  are 
  almost 
  entirely 
  migratory 
  species 
  like 
  the 
  Chat 
  and 
  

   Large-billed 
  water-thrush, 
  the 
  more 
  sedentary 
  or 
  resident 
  species 
  failing 
  

   to 
  establish 
  themselves 
  permanently 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  severe 
  winters 
  

   with 
  deep 
  snows, 
  which 
  destroy 
  such 
  species 
  as 
  the 
  Bobwhite 
  and 
  Carolina 
  

  

  