In the book,The Once and Future King, Chapters 17-19, Merlyn, Wart (the portrayal of King Arthur as a boy), and Merlyn’s talking owl, Archimedes, are having a conversation. Wart claims that the rook is his favorite bird because it flies as though it has a sense of humor. Archimedes says his favorite bird is the pigeon. Merlyn speculates that the calls of birds and animals are imitations of sounds in nature.

The discussion between Wart, Merlyn, and Archimedes of their favorite birds has been called the writer's satirical look at the social classes and relations between the sexes in early 20th century society. An explicit link between animals and humans is used to show the good and bad attributes found in human beings.

With Archimedes, there are things about him which everyone can love. He is an owl looking to capture a person's heart. Firstly, he refuses to function properly until someone fumblingly presents him with a cup of tea. Secondly, he is easily duped into doing things against his will. Thirdly, he’s just the cleverest owl that can be found in the world. He also likes to take the piss out of people; he does it a lot. Archimedes is Merlyn's owl who has a "philosophical" nature, and he loves it.

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