The Durham Daily Globe

In the town of Patten, a place distant from tidewater over ninety miles, there is a great curiosity, known as the "turtle's nest." For fifty-two years a turtle has come annually to the nest to deposit her eggs. Over half a century ago she selected her nest, then in an open field, but now in a yard in front of a residence. A relative of the owner of the house branded the date 1841 upon the turtle's back, and it can be plainly traced now. She comes about the same date each year, and her first few days are passed in inspecting the ancient nest, the yard and surroundings. Later she digs a hole in the ground and there deposits her eggs. This year she left forty-two eggs, but as many were carried away and the others often disturbed, only about a dozen of the eggs hatched out. The owner of the house has ten of the little turtles, none more than twice the size of a postage stamp. The old turtle always departs after laying the eggs; the warm sand and sun serve as an incubator. This turtle has been seen at the Drew Dead Water on the Mattawamkeag river, fully fifty miles away from the nest. Her weight varies from thirty to thirty-five pounds, and it is said she was as large when branded as she is now. Each June she comes to Patten, and is always welcomed by old and young.- Bangor (Me.) Letter.