The Elusive Canary by Mystic Craig

 In 1936, Mystic Craig (William M. Vagell) published the book "The Elusive Canary - (The Vanishing Bird Cage) The Last Word In Cages".  This long out-of-print rare book is now available in an e-book (pdf) edition on the invaluable Lybrary.com  - https://www.lybrary.com/the-elusive-canary-p-926908.html

Here is my review of the book  -

The Elusive Canary - (The Vanishing Bird Cage) The Last Word In Cages by Mystic Craig (with assistance from Jean Hugard) has long been somewhat elusive itself. The book was originally self-published in 1936 and sold for $2.00. Today in 2025 it is not unusual to see a copy going for $65 or more. Many thanks to Lybrary.com for making it available. Mystic Craig's real name was William M. Vagell.

Those magicians who have a particular interest in the classic effect, The Vanishing Bird Cage, will be the primary audience for this book. I for one am glad to have access to this rare book as an e-book edition through Lybrary.com. For what it is as a historical piece , I'm rating this book 5-stars, but potential buyers should be aware that it is a slender volume (23 pages) and the subtitle: “The Last Word On Cages” is a bit of an exaggeration on the part of the author. It is not a comprehensive treatment on all the various methods and types of vanishing bird cages that had been used from the time of Buatier De Kolta (the inventor of the effect) to the time when the book came out (in 1936). It is mostly the author's own particular handling for the effect and a few novel ideas he had for enhancing the effect. Although, at the time (and in the years since then) you could almost say it was the ONLY word on the vanishing bird cage, as very little detailed information has ever been put into print on this delightful, but difficult to perform feat of magic. Most information on performing the vanishing bird cage effect -- the 'real work' on the cage -- has been passed along in person from magician to magician or in the occasional article published in magazines such as Linking Ring or M-U-M. In the present day I would say “the last word on cages” is to be found in John Carney’s outstanding book Sleights and Insights in his chapter 'The Vanishing Bird Cage Re-imagined, which at 27 pages is longer than The Elusive Canary.  John Carney also covers much of the same material from his book Sleights and Insights in a video tutorial which is also titled 'The Vanishing Bird Cage Re-imagined'. (Available to purchase from John Carney on his website - https://carneymagic.com/carneymagic-2013-complete-series/ )

At any rate, I appreciate Mystic Craig’s book The Elusive Canary , even if it falls a bit short of being “THE  Last Word On Cages”. It contains some valuable information on the vanishing bird cage, so for the vanishing bird cage aficionado I would recommend it as a historical curiosity worth reading. It is rumored that master craftsman James P. Riser (whose vanishing bird cages are regarded as among the best ever made) has a book in the works about The Vanishing Bird Cage, which, if he ever publishes it, may likely be The Last Word On Cages.

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From the book:

A Word from the Author

I want to take this opportunity to thank the following magicians for the assistance and information given me making this book possible. John Mulholland for the historical background and the title, who does his Flying Cage in a very unique showmanship manner. Also to Jean Hugard for his assistance in helping to compile this first and only book in magicdom on Bird Cage Vanishes and Routines.

Respectfully,

MYSTIC CRAIG 

Cover of the book 'The Elusive Canary' by Mystic Craig

Mystic Craig about to vanish the cage and canary.
(in the book the author mentions he uses a Thayer cage;
Walter Baker made the cages for Floyd Thayer.)

Vanishing Bird Cages to Avoid

Obtaining a vintage bird cage made by Charles Lindhorst (for Will Lindhorst and Gene Devoe) or Fred Rickard (for Owen Magic Supreme) or 'Yimka' (Dick Scott , for Harry Stanley's Unique Magic), or a more recent high-quality cage made by James Riser , or Chris Reesman (Encore Magic) or Daniel Summers would be ideal, but what about the less expensive cages that show up on eBay or are currently available from magic dealers ?  Your choices are usually either a Milson Worth cage or one of the Indian-made copies of the Milson Worth cage.  

The Milson Worth Silver Meteor cage was never a great design to start with  (although with some slight modifications it can be made to work ok ... or you could make major modifications as in the case of Tommy Wonder , who more or less re-built the Milson Worth cage from the ground up for his own purposes).  The Milson Worth cage was a flawed copy of a better cage that was originally made by Warren Simms.  However, I would not go quite so far as to say it is worthless or unusable as some comments on various magic forums would have you believe.  However, compared to a Lindhorst cage or Baby Lindy cage, there is no comparison. The Lindhorst or Baby Lindy design is much superior. 

Since at least the 1980's there have been cheaply made copies of the Milson Worth cage, mostly (all?) originating from India. Some are 'ok', but most are junk, especially the recent cages distributed by Murphy's Magic under the branding "Premium Magic" or "The Essel Magic".

(if it comes in a box labeled "Premium Magic" avoid it like the plague . It's junk.)At one time Sam Dahal (Sam's Magic Service of Calcutta, India) provided a fairly good cage based on the Milson Worth cage.  Sam Dahal has also done business as Electro-Fun Magic and currently as Funtime Magic.  (Sadly, the current cage supplied by Funtime Magic is NOT the same quality as the older cages from Sam's Magic Service/Electro Fun/Funtime Magic from 15 - 25 years ago.  The same metal craftsman are not always available so the quality of these cages can vary.  I think this is why you find some comments from magicians on magic forums declaring: "Those Indian-made cages are actually dangerous! I wouldn't use one if you paid me." whereas other people will say: "Well, it's not so bad, I use one and it works fine for me."  A big problem is that the Indian-made cages seem to have no quality control.  Some of the older Sam's Magic Service cages are actually pretty good, but the more recent ones have taken a turn for the worse. I write these comments based on actual experience using two older Dahal cages I picked up on eBay and also trying to use two of the recent cages , one from Premium Magic and the other from Funtime Magic (which seemed to me to be identical cages -- both equally bad -- except for the packaging). 

The Funtime Magic cage I purchased recently was very disappointing, especially because the older cage I had from them is actually pretty good.  The currently available vanishing bird cage from Funtime Magic (distributed in the U.S.A. by EZ Magic/D.Robbins) and from Premium Magic (distributed in the U.S.A. by Murphy's Magic) , plus a third cage that is branded as "The Essel Magic" (sold by Vanishing Inc.) seem to all be the exact same poorly made cage , but with different branding/packaging and distributed by different wholesalers.  In my experience having purchased a couple of these cages (one branded Funtime Magic, the other branded Premium Magic) they are junk. Avoid them. 

The older, better quality Sam Dahal/Sam's Magic Service cages from 15 - 25 years ago, usually came in a red cardboard box like the one shown below. The instruction sheets say: "Sam's Magic Service, Calcutta".   If you can get one of these cages that has been well maintained , it's probably quite usable , with some slight modification as mentioned below.  BUT again, let's be clear:  this inexpensive Indian-made cage is NOT in the same league as a Jim Riser or  Daniel Summers "Baby Lindy". Don't expect that level of quality , but these older Sam Dahal/Sam's Magic Service cages are not bad if you can find one.

The better made Sam Dahal/Sam's Magic Service bird cages look like this:

In my opinion, these older cages from Sam Dahal actually improved on the Milson Worth cage in one way, because they are slightly larger --  5.1" x 4" x 4", compared to M-W cage 5.00" x 3.75" x 3.625"  -- and also by shortening the over-long cross-bars of the Milson Worth cage (which is the major design flaw of the Milson Worth cage).  Again, let me emphasize, this cage not in the same league as a Lindhorst cage or a Jim Riser or Daniel Summers 'Baby Lindy'  but it can be usable. 

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the Milson Worth cage and the older Dahal cage. I actually prefer the slightly larger Dahal cage.

With a decent cage you should be able to easily hold it one-handed like this: 

NOTE: the older Dahal cages I own did have some rough spots where the side cage bars are attached, but I filed down the rough spots with a metal file so they are smooth.  Once these minor modifications are done, it's actually a better cage than the Milson-Worth cage, in my opinion.  An unmodified MW cage tends to snag more frequently because the cross bars are too long (if you cut them down and file the ends smooth the MW cage works ok, but that's a lot of effort to cut down the ends and file them down so the edges are rounded.)

→ Something to be aware of is that the Sam's Magic Service bird cages came in both a left-handed version and right-handed version.  (often you see people in photos or on YouTube holding the left-handed version in the wrong orientation, with the side bars horizontal instead of vertical). Most people will prefer the right-handed version , unless they are left-handed , obviously. 

The recent Indian-made cages from Funtime Magic,  Premium Magic, and The Essel Magic (which I suspect are all made by the same sub-contractor for Funtime , Premium, and The Essel)  are much lower quality, with sharp, rough edges that can catch on your clothing or your skin. They don't stand up easily on their own and are not easy to hold with one hand. (or even two hands). I think these type of poorly made cages have probably put many magicians off ever performing the Vanishing Bird Cage because they give up on it in frustration.  They've never used a proper cage or even a 'half-way-decent-not-horrible' cage. 

Many dealer's are currently stocking this one branded as "Premium Magic" (it's certainly NOT premium quality).  Avoid this one . It's a complete waste of your time and money.   Magic dealers should be ashamed to sell this piece of junk.

(the two photos on the right side are from one of these that I actually own , having gotten fooled by
dishonest eBay seller who claimed they were selling a Milson Worth cage ,but this is the one I actually received!)

Almost all the online dealers are currently using this exact same photo of the cage to advertise it. This one is total junk, imo.  Don't buy it.

In North America, these junk cages are distributed by Murphy's Magic, although D.Robbins/EZ Magic also lists a vanishing birdcage made by Funtime Magic using the exact same photo.  And on Funtime Magic's own website they are using this same photo.  (it appears to be the exact same cage , just with different branding)

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But how about if you find a used Milson Worth cage in good condition for a good price ?  Is it worth it? 

Maybe.  Read on ...

Although many magicians say the Milson Worth cage is so flawed as to be unusable,  here are two outstanding examples of professional magicians using a vintage Milson Worth cage (circa 1970's) successfully.  Jeff Hobson modified his MW cage by shortening the ends of the cross-bars. I'm not sure if Bill Schulert modified his or not.

 

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Personally, after experimenting with using several different cages,  I've come to the conclusion that for me the Milson Worth cage and the better made, older Sam Dahal copy of the MW cage are not ideal, but they can be usable with careful practicing to hone the technique (the "knack") of vanishing these little cages.   It would be better to get a used  Lindhorst/Devoe cage , or used Yimka (Unique Magic) cage in good condition , or a Lindhorst-style cage (by Owen Magic Supreme, Chris Reesman/Encore Magic,  James Riser, or Daniel Summers).  As of 2025 , the only person I know who is regularly supplying new cages based on the Lindhorst design (with improvements suggested by Walter Blaney) is Daniel Summers . The full size Lindhorst-style cage and the Riser "Baby Lindy" cage made by Daniel Summers are among the best cages ever made. 

BUT, if you simply can't afford a better cage and just want to play around with the vanishing bird cage , one of the older Sam Dahal cages (Sam's Magic Service,  in the red box), or a Milson Worth cage are usable. For the Milson Worth cage you may want to cut 1/4" off the end of the cross bars using a jeweler's saw and then rounding off the ends of the bars with a metal file. (do NOT cut down the bar at the lower right corner with the ring).  It is probably best to hire a metal worker or jeweler to do this modification. 

Modify the cross bars on the Milson Worth cage

You can modify the Sam Dahal cage by using a metal file to smooth any rough edges on the cross bars and to smooth any rough areas where the side bars connect if necessary.  With the Dahal cage you don't need to cut down the cross bars, because they are not overly long like the Milson Worth bars.