[Henry Briggs Nature Movies: Spring]

Datecirca 1940

Viewing NotesBriggs footage originally shot on 16mm film. // Briggs gives running narration throughout. // All text that appears is reversed. // Workhorse rolling on its back in snow. Close-up of pine needles covered in ice. Red squirrel on tree branch, jumps across branches. Trees in snowy forest with maple sugar taps and buckets hanging underneath. Man walks through snow with bucket, bores hole into maple tree. Close-up of frozen maple sap in spout. Maple house 'north of Jackman' where two men are splitting tree stump with axes. Men cut shingles out of log with froe, trim bark off edges with axes, place shingles in large pile. Men build log cabin by hand. Shot of completed cabin/camp. Car driving down very muddy road (NOTE: this sequence is interrupted briefly by 1-2 seconds of severe dropout/tape damage). Large wooden casks for maple sap on sleds pulled by workhorses. Men and woman ride on top of casks. Men empty buckets with frozen sap into pails. Interior of maple house shows the many processes involved. Exterior of house with heavy steam rising through roof. Syrup runs out of faucet tap into ten-gallon cans. Man whittles branch outdoors with pocketknife to make spile to bore into maple tree, lights pile of birch bark kindling to make fire. Family gathered around fire. Hole bored into tree, spile tapped in, sap immediately runs out. Boy catches sap in hands, drinks out of his palm, then drinks out of large pail. Sap boiled in tin cans on grill outdoors. Crowd of people outside eating. Syrup poured onto snow, frozen syrup is twirled up around stick, boys eat frozen syrup off sticks. Man puts yoke on pair of oxen. Oxen pull sled with large sap buckets. Exterior of sap house, sign (reversed) reads: 'T.R. Harding Maple Syrup Sugar Candy.' Shot of 'Flomor' pill used to increase sap flow (reversed). Sap running through string of clear tubing connected to series of trees. Old woman and daughter make maple candy in kitchen. Shot of 'State of Maine Maple Candy' box (reversed). Man puts yoke on shoulders, jokingly pulls sled. Close-up of animal tracks (skunk and raccoon) in snow. Raccoon walking across river on tree trunk. Close-up of porcupine quills in tree, site of porcupine kill made by fisher. Man holds up porcupine quills skinned from body. Close-up of fisher foraging in woods. Footage of powerful river rapids. Sheep and baby lambs. Flock of geese in sky. Red squirrel in tree. Close-up of pussy willow. Close-up of numerous flowers (liver wort, blood root). Close-ups of butterflies, bumblebee, ants. Muskrat swimming in river. Close-up of spruce cone buds. Brook with waterfalls and skunk cabbage close-ups.

• Henry Briggs

• Henry Briggs