Take a piece of paper stained or painted like tortoiseshell, and cut out a piece of the shape of a turtle’s upper shell; make claws and head, and paste them on. Bend up the middle and put on a bottom, which you also push up in the centre, where with a drop of shoemaker’s wax you secure a large live fly. The efforts of the latter to escape will cause him to carry the paper shape about the table. Except for the fright—and the absence of mental emotions in such low animals debars much fear of that—the creature need suffer no hurt.
MYSTIC CHANGES IN COSTUME.
We are all familiar with the excellent surprises in quick dressing shown by Woodin, Love, and the latest polyphonist, Mr. Maccabe. An American entertainer has carried this address in dress to its climax. He comes upon the stage attired in a black dress coat, black trousers, having in his hand a high opera crush hat, and sings a collection of songs, at the end of each one of which he, without leaving the stage, and while standing in full view of the audience, makes several changes in his costume, as follows:—Upon the coat, which is closely buttoned, in place of the black buttons there suddenly appear and disappear double rows of gilt buttons. Closing his crush hat and affixing it to a rear button on his coat, he produces from a pocket a small cap, with wig attached, which he places upon his head; quickly turning his trousers up above the knee, to give them the appearance of knee breeches, we find his lower limbs encased in neatly fitting white gaiters, and, producing a telescopic cane, we are presented with an excellent portraiture of an old man in the full costume of years gone by. By a sudden movement from the neck the entire costume is changed to full female attire. He then sings “Tassels on her Boots,” and at the conclusion of the first verse, as he slightly raises the skirt of his dress in front, we see that the gaiters have disappeared, and that his feet are encased in neatly fitting ladies’ boots with tassels thereon. Succeeding this he makes several entire changes of costume, all being, however, of female attire, differing materially in style and colour. He wears a jaunty little hat upon his head, which is changed in colour and style to suit the various costumes, without removing it: also, different wigs are seen upon his head after the latest fashion of ladies’ hair dressing.
THE ANIMATED CRYSTAL.
Alum put into a tumbler of water, as it dissolves will assume the shape of a pyramid. When the solution has nearly terminated, you will find the mass covered with geometrical figures, cut out, as it were, in relief upon the mass. This experiment having succeeded, take up a crystal quartz which has six sides, and cut accurately from each face to a perfectly convex surface, and place it on a piece of plate or common window glass, a china or glazed plate, or any smooth surface, perfectly clean, as grease or a particle of dust would impede its motion. Wet the surface, and give the plane a slight inclination, when, if properly managed, a rotatory motion will commence, which may be kept up for any length of time by giving alternate inclinations to the plane surface, according to the movements of the crystal; to heighten the pleasing effect of which, a variety of paper figures, harlequins, waltzers, &c., may be attached. The first trial of the experiment had better be made by giving a slight rotatory motion to the crystal.
THE SPINELESS GIANTESS.
In The Merry Circle a full explanation was given of the mode of manufacturing a giant or giantess. A slight yet telling modification has occurred to us.
Let the skirts of a dress be fastened with its waistband around a boy’s chest just under his armpits., He forms the body of the Colossus. Half open an umbrella and secure it in that position. Tie a shawl to the ferule so that it will fall over the umbrella and conceal the boy. On the top fasten a muff or bale of cloth, which serves as a head on which a coal-scuttle bonnet may be fitted, with a thick veil to hide the absence of countenance. If the umbrella has a hinge in it, as parasols are often made, the animating principle of this “ten footer” may execute a bow with the upper part of the contrivance which a courtier could never surpass.
Fig. 74.