How to Tell the Birds from the Flowers and Other Woodcuts · Chapter
The Puss; The Octo‑pus explained
A humorous warning about the potential confusion between a household cat (Puss) and an octopus, highlighting the domestic chaos that could ensue if one mistakenly acquires an octopus instead of a cat.
What happens
A humorous warning about the potential confusion between a household cat (Puss) and an octopus, highlighting the domestic chaos that could ensue if one mistakenly acquires an octopus instead of a cat.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional and psychological peak occurs in the tension between the Ibis’s preserved, sacred death and the…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Wordplay and Homophones
The pun on 'in-felis-ity' (infelicity/felicity) and the playful confusion between 'puss' and 'octopus' exemplify homophonic wordplay.
- Humor and Absurdity
The absurd scenario of an octopus scuttling around the house like a cat underscores the chapter's comedic tone.
Characters to notice
- The Gnu, the Newt
Not directly present, but the chapter's playful tone and wordplay align with the Gnu and Newt's characteristic humor.
Key passages
“The Octopus or Cuttle‑fish! I’m sure that none of us would wish To have him scuttle ’round the house, Like Puss, when she espies a mouse”
Nobody would want an octopus crawling around the house the way a cat does when it sees a mouse.
Highlights the humorous contrast between a typical cat behavior and the imagined behavior of an octopus.
“When you secure your house‑hold pet, Be very sure you do not get The Octopus, or there may be Domestic in‑ felis ‑ity.”
When choosing a pet, make sure you don't accidentally pick an octopus, or you'll end up with domestic trouble (a pun on 'infelicity' and 'felis' meaning cat).
The pun 'in-felis-ity' combines Latin for cat ('felis') with 'infelicity' (unhappiness), reinforcing the theme of mistaken identity.
