380 REED-WRIGHT— THE VERTEBRATES OF [October i, 



mal annual temperatures for eleven years^ 1891-1901, is: Ontario 

 47.5°, Central Lakes 48.3°, Eastern Plateau 45.9°. Thus it appears 

 that the Central Lake region is .8° warmer than the Ontario and 

 2.4° warmer than the Eastern Plateau. 



The extent to which the lake modifies the climate of the basin, 

 if any, is still to be determined. Dr. W. D. Wilson, of Geneva, in 

 comparing the influence of the lakes upon Ithaca and Geneva,^ states 

 that the northerly winds in winter are warmed by their passage up 

 the lake valley, which they follow more or less closely, and cause the 

 temperature in the vicinity of Ithaca during this season to stand 

 3.3 degrees higher than it otherwise would. According to E. C. 

 Turner the observations made at Ithaca prior to 1897 substantiate 

 Dr. Wilson's views and moreover indicate that they apply to the 

 whole of the central lake region. 



The normal monthly temperature for Ithaca compiled from data 

 collected from 1875 to 1905 follows: 



January 24.1 July 70.6 



February 25.1 August 68.2 



March 31.9 September 60.6 



April 44.2 October 49.5 



May 57.0 November 37.6 



June 66.2 December 28.4 



The sum of daily heat units above 32 degrees is 14,317, com- 

 piled from a table of normal daily temperature for 33 years and 

 the average normal daily temperature of the six hottest weeks 

 is 70.4 degrees. According to Turner, from 1879 to 1893 the 

 average date of the latest freezing temperature was May 6, the 

 extremes being April 9 and May 29. The average date of the first 

 freezing temperature in the fall was October 10, the earliest being 

 September 26, while in one year 32 degrees was not reached until 

 October 31. A table of the latest spring and earliest fall killing 

 frosts from 1900 to 1907 at three stations in the basin follows : 



Ithaca. Romulus. Auburn. 



1900. May 7-Oct. 20 May lo-Oct. 20 May 6-Oct. 16 



1901. April i2-0ct. 28 Oct. 18 April 12-Oct. 6 



' See Turner, E. T., Eighth Annual Report of the New York Weather 

 Bureau, Assembly Documents, Vol. 25, 1897, p. 440. 



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