The magician brings out on stage a duck. A spectator signs his name on the duck's bill with a black sharpie. The magician throws a large silk over the duck, covering everything but the bill.

Despite the fact that the bill remains in clear view at all times, when the magician removes the silk the duck has vanished and standing in its place is a duck-billed platypus. The astonished spectator comes forward and verifies that the signature on the platypus's bill is his own.

METHOD

Actually, I don't have a method yet. However, I recently learned that Flash Mildew, with whom I once shared a men's room at the Houston Astrodome, was going to release my "pet" effect as his own.

He claims to have discovered this independently. However, his method includes only those elements that were visible in the bathroom. Consequently, I have no recourse but to publish this effect here to set the record straight.

The lesson is obvious--never go into a public restroom with a grown man wearing a plaid suit whose name is "Flash."