Ishii Black - The Butterfly Trick

THE BUTTERFLY TRICK By Ishii Black The Celebrated Japanese Butterfly Trick is certainly one of the most graceful conjuring effects ever invented. It is equally effective on the stage or in the drawing-room. It is always sure of a good reception, and if well performed will please even those to whom the secret is familiar. It is therefore well worth the pains and practice which will be found necessary to give the delicate touch of nature which is so charming in a good representation. In Japan the conjurer sits on the floor while he is performing this trick, but as this position would be rather inconvenient for an English magician, I will explain how the trick can be performed with equal effect when one is standing. The performer should stand behind a small table without any covering. On the table are placed a small china bowl, a bunch of flowers, or, still better, a branch of blossoms, and two folding fans. Addressing the audience, the performer says: 'Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps of all the creatures of the insect world there are none so beautiful as butterflies. To see them flying about from flower to flower, is a charming spectacle. Unfortunately, we cannot always have them with us, but I will endeavor to create a pair of these delightful creatures for your entertainment this evening. 'I have here a piece of tissue paper which I tear into shape and twist into the form of a butterfly. It quickly comes to life and flies and dances about in the sun - or rather the lamp light.' The performer now fans the butterfly so that it flies about naturally; a little practice will enable him to do this. Afterwards, the performer takes up the other fan, opens it in his left hand, saying: 'See, the butterfly is attracted by the flowers painted upon the fan; being imitation itself it fancies that the flowers arc real. Its wings grow weary; it stops to rest upon the fan.

In Japan the butterfly is the emblem of conjugal bliss. We will procure for him a wife, who shall be the darling of his life.' Catching the butterfly in his right he places it upon the back of his left hand, so as to hold it between the third and fourth fingers. He now proceeds to tear a piece of tissue paper and make another butterfly. This he places with the other upon the back of his left hand. Beginning to fan them gently, he continues: 'Ah, we have now a happy pair! How they dance and frolic. Let us hasten to give them some honey. Here, my darlings, come and enjoy the sweets I have provided for you.' Here the conjurer takes up the flowers; the butterflies approach and hover about them, now resting upon a flower, now flying above it in a most natural manner. When the performer thinks there has been enough of this he puts down the flowers and taking up the bowl. 'You must be thirsty, but, alas, I have no heavensent dew to offer you, but come, here is water, drink, drink.' The butterflies hover about the bowl, now one and then the other entering it.

At last they both do so, and, although the performer continued to fan, they refuse to come out again. 'Hullo! How is this? I hope they are not drowned!' He peers into the bowl. 'Ha, ha ! No, they are both asleep; lazy dears, I must wake them up.' Striking the rim of the bowl with the fan two or three times, so as to make it sound, the conjurer opens the fan and the butterflies fly out, bright and joyous as before. 'Their wings are wet and soiled, I will repair them.' He allows them to fall on the open fan. Taking them up, he touches their wings with his fingers, and throwing them into the air, he fans them briskly, and walks about the room among the audience, the insects flying a few feet before him.

They fly high, low, now on this side, then on the other. Returning to his former place behind the table the performer allows the butterflies to fall upon the open fan. Then he crunches them up in his left hand and bows to the audience. The trick is finished. Directions. When the performer enters he has a piece of very fine black silk about five feet in length. Some performers prefer a long, some a short piece of silk; trial will tell you the proper length to suit you best. One end of this is fastened by means of a small piece of bees' wax to the head, about an inch above the middle of the forehead. The other end also has a small piece of wax attached to it, and this is lightly stuck to the tip of the forefinger of the left hand. While the performer is standing behind the table, addressing the audience, he manages to transfer this dab of wax with the silk attached from his finger to the middle of the table. He now has a silk thread which is perfectly invisible from the distance of a few feet, reaching from his head to the table, and by moving backwards or forwards, this can be loosened or tightened at pleasure. He now tears a piece of tissue paper into the shape of two ovals joined in the middle. Moving back, he draws the silk tight, slips the paper over it, about two and a half or three feet from his head, and gives it a twist so as to form the shape of a butterfly.

Holding this by the finger tips of the left hand, he takes up a fan with the other hand, bends a little forward so as to slacken the silk and, releasing the butterfly, begins to fan gently, when the paper will fly about, resembling a live butterfly. The performer will now find that he has perfect control over the paper butterfly, and that by loosening or tightening the silk he can bring it into almost any position he desires. He now takes up the other fan in his left hand, opens it and holds it out, very gradually bringing it near to the flying paper, so as to make it appear that the butterfly approached the fan, and it should not be noticed that the

fan was brought to the insect. The butterfly can easily be made to hover about the fan, and by drawing the silk tight to rest upon the edge. The paper is allowed to fall upon the fan, and is taken up and placed upon the back of the left hand, so as to be held between the knuckles of the third and fourth fingers, and another butterfly is formed upon the same thread about a foot below the former one. The two are thrown into the air and fanned as before. The performer now takes up the flowers which he uses as he did the fan, the butterflies being made to hover about or rest upon the flowers as desired, being regulated by the movements of the performer's head, as he slackens or tightens the silk. After this the bowl is used in the same manner.

The papers are next caught on the open fan, and being taken up by the finger tips of the left hand, under pretence of repairing the wings, the silk is broken just below the second butterfly, then throwing them once more into the air, the performer fanning vigorously, walks about the room amongst the spectators, the butterflies flying about, attached to the now loose silk attached to his forehead.

They are then caught on the fan and crunched up. A very pretty way of ending the trick is to palm a packet of confetti and to fan from the left hand a cloud of white flakes resembling snow. Ishii Black Ishii Black, a British ex-patriot living in Japan, visited London in 1914. 'The Butterfly Trick' was included in a series of articles Black contributed to 'The Magician' Monthly, a popular trade magazine of the period.