Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-12-12
"A Severe WINTER
Predicted by Thos. Martin
dale in Maine Woods.
SAYS All the Animals and Birds
Are PrepaIin g IL Il.
Ne Spends Much Time in Woods
and Closely Watches Them.

who spends Il large portion OF III" ihIl
ANA winter in his hunting camp in tn
Maine wunis. annually makes a fore
cast Of the probable winter weather.
basing his predictions upon study
cl the wild animals of the woods. Ne
cul ding tp Mr. Martindulc the present
winter W;li b., on ut unusually sever
ity ana length ana judging from til"
vase already given many will believe
that he il not far out of the way i'll his
predictions. Mi. Martindalc writes
lrs,m hi,; Maine camp as follows:
camp Man tindalc. Northern Mail"--
about Nov l. 1906 made some obscr
,ltions during my annual hunting
"trip up here | ihcn vcntured the
, prediction that We would lave 4 lat"
ana i very mild winter. ! need not
advert 10 the tact that the winter was
really tie mildcst for very many years
back.
1t may 10 interesting I" note the
differences which | perceive between
the conditions existing now and those
Of one year ago this very day.
we have a colony Of beavers on our
Ia ~ that work as industriously as
those busy animals can do anywhere
, 'mdcr til" most favorable environments
and the work they are n,W doing. AMI
I have done already this fail i'll rrcpar-
| alton for the coming winter. is amaZ-
ing.
/ Last Year they had not started with
\ the building Of their house, nor had
they commenced to build their darn.
/, They had rut down some aldcrs. hut
but no large pieces Of wood. from tho
J from the bark Of which they obtain
their winters sustcnancc.
Now a splendid dam is very nearly
| completed, having a fall of nearly three
| fc,t. and several cedar trees are all but
cut through a. their base by the sharp
teeth Of thns. wonderful engineers.
| With these cadnrs they ale apparently
going to raise the dam still higher BY
! anchorinL the trees on the crest
1 Of the present structure. They are now
buSly al work building their house as
Well
The muskrats last year We're build
ing Il house upon a little wharf which
we use for Il canoe landing, and which
p, is only some eight inches above the
water, showing that they did not an
ticipate any great rise in the water
houses they are now building are over
I two feet above the water. and Vet they
are still working upon them.
The wild ducks, snipe, looms, dip
| pers. as well as the birds Of the woods,
We're still here when We left in 1905.
ON the 11tn ~ October the wild ducks
were masscd tog .ther in great flocks.
pruning their feathers for their coming
Southern flight. and the very next day,
shortly after sunrise. with 4 mighty
rush Of swift wings they circled high
in the air ana left the lake heading due
south.
| Last year tn" SWampS were dry,
and it's an Old saying that winter new
I"r really comes until the swamps are
filled with water. but. 10. and behold,
the swampa are even now full and
running over.
| "but Of hundreds Of deer which we
saw l. months ag" perhaps not over i
half dozen We're i'll their dark winter
suits. This year every deer that We
have seen is sleek. glossy and fat, and
wearing its beautifully gray winter
coat. Perhaps the question Of food has
more t. do with the dctr's condition
than the future stat" of the weather
but | am only stating the facts as
| now 81" them
From all that nature is doing up
here and from the preparations being
made for til" coming great climatic
change NJ Tho part Of natures children
Of tie wild, again nlodcstly essay to
put On the mantl" Of prophecy and do
now predict an early winter and Il Sc
we're one
"TIioMAS M.AETINDALF."