﻿34 
  

  

  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  there 
  is 
  often 
  a 
  peculiar 
  intermingling 
  of 
  northern 
  and 
  southern 
  forms. 
  

   Thus, 
  species 
  which 
  are 
  ordinarily 
  regarded 
  as 
  Carolinian 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  

   breeding 
  side 
  by 
  side 
  with 
  Canadian 
  species, 
  and 
  although 
  the 
  Alleghanian 
  

   species 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  in 
  those 
  localities, 
  the 
  Transition 
  zone 
  seems 
  

   to 
  have 
  lost 
  its 
  special 
  character 
  by 
  the 
  Carolinian 
  fauna 
  being 
  joined 
  

   directly 
  with 
  the 
  Canadian. 
  This 
  effect 
  though 
  noticeable 
  to 
  a 
  certain 
  

   extent 
  in 
  the 
  Catskill 
  region, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  shown 
  by 
  Mr 
  Bicknell, 
  is 
  particu- 
  

   larly 
  evident 
  in 
  western 
  New 
  York 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   Potter 
  Swamp 
  area. 
  The 
  plateau 
  and 
  lowland 
  of 
  western 
  New 
  York 
  west 
  

   of 
  the 
  75th 
  meridian 
  slopes 
  from 
  an 
  altitude 
  of 
  about 
  2000 
  feet 
  near 
  the 
  

   Pennsylvania 
  line 
  to 
  250 
  feet 
  on 
  Lake 
  Ontario. 
  Though 
  its 
  slope 
  and 
  

   drainage 
  is 
  chiefly 
  to 
  the 
  north, 
  the 
  waters 
  of 
  this 
  region 
  reach 
  the 
  sea 
  at 
  

   such 
  widely 
  diverse 
  points 
  as 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  St 
  Lawrence, 
  New 
  York 
  bay, 
  

   Delaware 
  bay, 
  Chesapeake 
  bay 
  and 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  Mexico. 
  The 
  plateau 
  

   region 
  thus 
  is 
  reached 
  by 
  the 
  narrow 
  extension 
  northward 
  of 
  the 
  Delaware, 
  

   Susquehanna 
  and 
  Alleghany 
  valleys, 
  but 
  at 
  such 
  a 
  high 
  altitude 
  that 
  few 
  

   southern 
  forms 
  are 
  introduced 
  by 
  those 
  routes. 
  There 
  is 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  evi- 
  

   dence 
  that 
  Carolinian 
  forms 
  come 
  into 
  western 
  New 
  York 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  the 
  

   Mohawk 
  valley, 
  but 
  the 
  chief 
  influx 
  is 
  from 
  the 
  west 
  by 
  way 
  of 
  southern 
  

   Ontario, 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  southern 
  shore 
  of 
  Lake 
  Erie, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  south 
  

   along 
  the 
  Delaware 
  and 
  Susquehanna 
  valleys. 
  In 
  the 
  Adirondacks 
  and 
  

   Catskills 
  the 
  Canadian 
  fauna 
  is 
  entirely 
  surrounded 
  by 
  the 
  Alleghanian 
  

   which 
  ascends 
  all 
  the 
  valleys 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  hearts 
  of 
  those 
  regions. 
  The 
  

   eastern 
  end 
  of 
  Long 
  Island, 
  cooled 
  by 
  the 
  sea, 
  is 
  mostly 
  Alleghanian 
  in 
  its 
  

   fauna, 
  but 
  still 
  strongly 
  tinged 
  with 
  the 
  Carolinian. 
  

  

  The 
  Alleghanian 
  faunal 
  area 
  in 
  New 
  York, 
  though 
  perplexing 
  to 
  map 
  

   out 
  accurately, 
  certainly 
  includes 
  the 
  greater 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  and 
  its 
  

   birds 
  are 
  the 
  most 
  abundant 
  and 
  well 
  known 
  in 
  all 
  localities 
  from 
  Long 
  

   Island 
  to 
  the 
  spruce 
  and 
  fir 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  Catskills 
  and 
  Adirondacks. 
  In 
  this 
  

   .area 
  "the 
  chestnut, 
  walnut, 
  oaks, 
  and 
  hickories 
  of 
  the 
  south 
  meet 
  and 
  

   overlap 
  the 
  beech, 
  birch, 
  hemlock, 
  and 
  sugar 
  maple 
  of 
  the 
  north 
  ; 
  the 
  southern 
  

   mole 
  and 
  cottontail 
  rabbit 
  meet 
  the 
  northern 
  star-nosed 
  and 
  Brewer's 
  

   moles 
  and 
  varying 
  hare, 
  and 
  the 
  southern 
  bobwhite, 
  Baltimore 
  oriole, 
  

   bluebird, 
  catbird, 
  chewink, 
  thrasher, 
  and 
  wood 
  thrush 
  live 
  in 
  or 
  near 
  the 
  

  

  