•9°9-] THE CAYUGA LAKE BASIN, N. Y. 379 



Red-bellied woodpecker, Centurus carolinus. 



Rough-winged swallow, Stelgidopteryx serripennis. 



Orchard oriole. Icterus spurius. 



A few Lower Austral forms, as the glossy ibis, the egret and 

 the turkey vulture, have been taken in Montezuma marshes during 

 the summer season. In the lowlands about the head of the lake, 

 particularly the Renwick marshes, there remain throughout the 

 winter a number of transients and summer residents. They are: 



Kingfisher, Ceryle alcyon. 



Flicker, Colaptes auritus luteus. 



Meadow lark, Sturnella magna. 



Song sparrow, Melospisa melodia. 



Swamp sparrow, Melospiza georgiana. 



Winter wren, Nannus hiemalis. 



Long-billed marsh wren, Telmatodytes palustris. 



Robin, Plaiiesticus migratoria. 



The localities where the more southern birds are found breeding 

 and where a few summer residents pass the winter are the alluvial 

 flood plains which constitute the " sheltered spots " of the basin. 

 According to Dudley a few very rare plants belong to these levels, 

 among them the more southern species. 



Meteorology. — The basins of Canandaigua, Keuka, Seneca and 

 Cayuga lakes constitute a meteorological subdivision of the state 

 termed the Central Lake region. On the north this subdivision 

 meets the Ontario I'egion. Lakes Owasco and Skaneateles are con- 

 sidered as within the meteorological subdivision known as the East- 

 ern Plateau which lies to the east and southeast of the central lakes. 

 The S^eca lake basin, except for a small portion of its northern 

 extremity, lies wholly within the Central Lake region while that of 

 Cayuga is not only continuous with the Ontario region in its north- 

 ern extremity but its southeastern portion projects for a considerable 

 distance into the Eastern Plateau. 



The normal annual temperature of the Central Lake region dif- 

 fers only slightly from that of the Ontario and to the extent of 

 about three degrees only from the Eastern Plateau. The normal 

 temperature for each of the three regions computed from the nor- 



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