Biological Survey — Oswego Watershed 51 



including 12 June beetles, 71 winged carpenter ants, 55 mayflies, 

 5 bees, an adult sialis, a stink bug, an ichneumon fly and grass- 

 hoppers. 



During the early summer the cisco also feeds to a considerable 

 extent at the surface during the early evening on emerging may- 

 flies and midges. Specimens taken by fly fishermen early in July 

 contained large quantities of beetles, ants, mayflies and spittle 

 insects. 



Vegetation.* — It is an unfortunate fact, as far as weed beds are 

 concerned, that the Finger lakes lie mostly in a north and south 

 direction so that the prevailing wind from the southwest sweeps 

 down each lake gathering in force, stirring up the lake bottom 

 and churning the shallows at the foot of each lake to such an ex- 

 tent that weed beds are restricted to the sunken delta at the head 

 of each lake and the few sheltered bays which exist along its shores. 

 Furthermore all the lakes drop off so suddenly from the shore to 

 deep water that very few coves or shallows protected from the pre- 

 vailing wind are to be found. Extensive beds of eel-grass or wild 

 celery (Vallisneria), pondweeds (Potamogeton), horn wort (Cera- 

 tophyllum), ditch-grass (Elodea) and other submerged forms are 

 restricted mostly to the head of each lake and a few sheltered bays 

 and occasional lagoons near the foot. The depth to which all these 

 species grow in quiet water with a rather muddy bottom is 10 to 17 

 and sometimes 25 feet. They do not thrive along the surf -swept 

 shores of these lakes. These plants, of course, furnish the ideal 

 situation for insect larvae, snails, etc., which are the natural food 

 of most of the shallow water fishes. The so-called musk-grass 

 (Char a foetida), however, is universally distributed on all the lake 

 bottoms to a depth of at least 20 or 30 feet and in favorable situ- 

 ations thrives at a depth of from 40 to 44 feet. It covers practi- 

 cally the whole bottom of Cayuga from the railroad bridge to 

 Union Springs. Incidentally it may be noted that this Char a is 

 the food which attracts the coots, redheads and other ducks where 

 the wild celery and sago pondweed (Potamogeton pectinatus) are 

 scarce — as they are in nearly all localities of the Finger lakes. 

 Char a foetida, lying closer to the bottom, though frequently up- 

 rooted by the south swell, which is so characteristic of these lakes, 

 is the only plant except filamentous algae, desmids, diatoms, etc., 

 of general distribution on the bottom of these lakes. Nitella and 

 other species of Char a are often associated with the predominant 

 form. This plant is one of the favorite foods of the golden shiner 

 and of course it offers shelter to many snails and shallow water 

 crustaceans which are valuable fish food. 



The microscopic algae which constitute a large proportion of the 

 plankton catches must, therefore, constitute the main primary 

 plant food of the small animal plankton which are to furnish the 

 main food supply in these lakes. These floating algae also by fall- 

 ing to the bottom furnish a large portion of the bottom ooze which 

 is the food of midge larvae, small Crustacea and other animals 

 which can be utilized as food by the young of deep water fishes. 



* See also page 242, Cayuga and Seneca flora. 



