Finale

At the conclusion of a series of card tricks the magician scales out a few cards to the spectators and then throws the whole deck, this bursts open in mid-air and a shower of colored tissue butterflies flutter down on the audience with beautiful effect.

Make up a packet of tissue butterflies, of bright colors, about the size of the cards. Paste a band of tissue round the packet with a loop of fine wire passing round the band on the lower side. Attach a length of black silk to the wire loop and on the packet put six or eight loose cards of the same pattern as the pack in use. Set the packet on your table, carry the silk over the front edge and coil it carefully on the floor under the table, tying the loose end to the table leg. If the packet is thrown out forcibly, on reaching the limit of the silk, the wire loop will cut the tissue band, the butterflies will be released and flutter down on the spectators.

To make the necessary change of the deck for the prepared packet, cover the latter with a handkerchief. Pick this up with your left hand and apparently put the pack down, really palming it as you put your hand on the packet. Delicately wipe your finger tips, then thrust the handkerchief and the palmed cards in your pocket. Pick up the prepared packet and scale out the loose cards on top, then throw out the packet. Toss it high up so that the wire loop and silk will recoil on the stage where they will lie unnoticed.

Buatier de Kolta used round discs of tissue with his name on them. His thread was fastened to the back of the stage and, after the throw his assistant would rapidly gather it in.

End of Card Manipulations No. 5