Page:Houdini - Paper Magic.djvu/78

 The Japanese Butterflies 63 will seem to be unprepared, as the hair is quite invisible even at close range. Now, fold the paper together as shown in Fig. 8, the hair being fastened at the point marked x, tear out the butterfly as shown, and proceed as above.

Do not be discouraged if the butterflies seem to have wills of their own at first and go any- where but to the places you desire, for there is certainly a knack in handling the fan which cannot he explained and can be acquired only by experiment; but once you have mastered this, the movement of the butterflies can be controlled to a nicety that will surprise even yourself. Many years ago, at an entertainment in New York, I saw an old-timer who was quite sue-