11 



and Cowasalon in Madison ; Oneida creek take its rise near the centre 

 of Madison County and flows into the head of Oneida Lake. The 

 streams of the St. Lawrence systems thus form a series of at least six 

 well-defined valleys, nearly parallel with each other, and extending 

 northward in their general direction. 



2. The Susquehanna drainage is chiefly through the waters of its 

 four tributaries,— the Tioughnioga, Otselic, Chenango, and Unadilla 

 rivers. Of these only the first drains any portion of Onondaga County, 

 and a portion of its waters are received from Madison ; the Otselic and 

 Chenango take their rise in Madison County, while the Unadila forms 

 part of its extreme eastern boundary and receives a few small streams 

 from the town of Brookneld. While nearly one-half of Madison County 

 is drained by the Susquehanna, more than nine-tenths of Onondaga is 

 drained by streams belonging to the St. Lawrence system. The streams 

 of the Susquehanna drainage form a series of at least three well marked 

 valleys extending south from Madison County. 



B. The general trend of the " ridge of land " is marked very nearly 

 by a line passing in an east-north-east direction through the villages of 

 Tully, Fabius, Lrieville, Morrisville, and Munnsville. In elevation this 

 water-shed varies from twelve hundred to sixteen hundred feet above 

 the sea level and probably some portions rise much higher. The 

 head waters of the two systems often occur very near to each 

 other. One instance may be found just east of Nelson where the head 

 waters of the Chittenango Creek and Chenango River are probably less 

 than half a mile apart, while among the picturesque Tully lakes are 

 two basins of considerable extent less than one-fourth of a mile apart, 

 whose waters are widely divergent in their final destination, one passing 

 south into the Susquehanna, the other north into Lake Ontario. 



C. In the northern portion of the two counties, the general surface 

 is level and as a consequence the streams are deeper and more sluggish. 

 Farther south, on both sides of the w r ater shed, the streams have a more 

 rapid current and often form cascades or waterfalls. The general 

 effect is to erode more of the surface, cut out gulches or ravines, and 

 expose large faces of rocks to view. Among the leading water falls are 

 two in the town of Pompey, and those at Perry ville and Chittenango 

 Falls in Madison County. The two former, Pratt's Falls and Delphi 

 Falls cut through the rocks of the Hamilton formation, while the two 

 latter cut through various limestone strata of the Helderberg series 

 especially the Water Lime, Onondaga, and Corniferous. Other falls of 

 less importance are found in various parts of both counties among 

 which may be mentioned those near New Woodstock, Vesper, Marcel- 

 lus, Manlius, and Munnsville. 



The stream near Delphi, Onondaga County, illustrates finely the 

 two classes of water falls depending on the nature and relative position 

 of the rocks over which the water flows. The fall is in two distinct 

 portions separated about thirty rods from each other ; the rock strata at 

 the upper fall are hardest at the top and softer below, consequently the 

 rocks at the base of the falls are most worn and the water flow r s with a 

 single plunge from top to bottom ; at the lower fall the rock strata are 

 rather softer at the top and harder below, consequently the rocks at the 

 top wear away more rapidly than below, and the water instead of 

 falling with a single plunge, flows down a succession of terraces or steps. 



D. Among the largest lake basins wholly in the state is Oneida 

 Lake north of these two counties. Its longest axis has a general direc- 

 tion east and west, its length being about twenty-five miles and irs 

 width about six miles. In the direction of its axis it presents a marked 

 exception to the other lakes of the state, they for the most part having 

 their greatest length north and south. Skaneateles Lake stands next 

 in size bordering on the western side of Onondaga County ; its axial 

 direction conforming with the general rule for the state. Of the lakes 

 wholly included in the counties, Onondaga Lake near Syracuse, Otisco 

 Lake in the southwestern part of Onondaga, and Cazenoviaor Owahgena 



