Water Wizardry: A collection of tricks in which water is the chief agent

r a number of years the trick has been recently revived, and there are now several versions of the trick. To the best of m

tables on either side of the stage for the presentation of this trick.) Two cardboard cylinders, one fitting inside the other, are also required, together with a small tin funnel. The bottle may

ttle too much water for his purpose he pours a little back into the bottle, using the funnel to aid him in the task of get

, you lead off by nursing the smaller cover carefully under one arm and showing the larger cover. When this is returned to you slip it over the smaller cover, withdraw the smaller, and hand that out

lready seen tha

ou've slipped something from the ot

to see both of them at once, and with a show of reluctance you hand out both covers at once and the audience laugh at themselves for being "had." Possibly, however, some of the more

n that way to save space in packing-a remark that is sure not to be believed-and you go

at your command has been obeyed. Having done that it is as well to raise the glass to let the audience see that there is water in it. Then you

he other has the bottom fixed in about half-way down, leaving room for a small glass to be hidden in the bottle under the bottom. Close up against the neck of this bottle there is fixed a tiny tin tube which passes down the neck and then through the centre of the botto

g.

ed in the small bottle (the one holding the water); the shell bottle is placed over that bottle. To enable the conjurer to pick up the bottles and glass together two small holes are made in the backs of the bottles; the tip of the middle finger passes

ter back into the bottle, but by using the funnel you pour it into the glass below. When you are practising the trick you can find out by experiment just how much water to pour back in this way, and if you make a little scratch on the glass you will gua

ming with only one table, keep the bottle and glass as far apart as possible; if they are close together

arger one in the right hand. While pattering to your audience you quietly pass the larger cover over the bottle, raise it, and the

ed the bottle with the smaller cover-you want to make sure that the hole in the shell bottle is still at the back. Therefore, note carefully the position of the hand when you raise the cover with the shell bottle

ng the bottle inside it and disclosing the glass, and you hold the other loosely, thus leaving the bottle in view. Cover the glass and bottle again and to cause them to go back

to do this, of course, because the cover which held the shell bottle is the larger of the two; therefore you raise the larger cover again, leaving the shell bottle in its original position over the other bottle. Then p

brands of whiskey, "Some are better than others." You want a bottle which looks exactly like the real thing, and the only way of making quite sure of getti

ulty in raising the cover quickly and leaving the shell bottle on the table; the bottle will get jammed in the cover and then-well-perhaps you had better tell the audience that the t

r quickly over the bottle and then lifting it up as quickly with the shell bottle inside it is not learned in a moment; at any rate, you cannot learn to do that in a natural way in a moment. To get the move quite right put the cover

suggestions

our out the water.) Just ordinary plain water, the stuff that farmers and gardeners always want when they haven't got it, and always grumble about when they have. If you live in a town you grumble because you have to pay for it, whether you use much or little; some people don't run any risk of using too much. I'm afraid there's a little too much there-better put some back; it will do another time. (Pour with funnel into bottle.) There, that's ju

s, but as we have to cover both we put one on the bottle and the other on the glass. If

r who used a shorter word when his trick went wrong. I don't think this trick has gone wrong so far because you see the bottle and glass have changed places. (Lift covers and show them.) The worst of our magic word is that it works only once in a trick. You might keep on saying: 'weather, weather, weather, weather, weather' all day to the trick, but nothing would happen-unless, of course, a ki