Narrator Turns Teacher into a Cat (Situational Irony)
When she is unable to spell the word cat, the narrator is harshly scolded by her teacher, Mrs Winter. She becomes very angry and accidentally uses her powers on Mrs Winter, giving her the whiskers and tail of a cat. While the narrator is unable to spell the word cat, she is able to make her teacher into one. In this instance of situational irony, the narrator cannot spell the word cat but is capable of actually causing someone to partially transform into one.
The Greggs are Threatened with Their Own Guns (Situational Irony)
Towards the end of the story, the Greggs are threatened by the ducks. The ducks take their guns and point them at the Greggs' nest. Mr and Mrs Gregg beg them not to shoot. When the ducks point out that they've been using these guns in the exact same way, Mr Gregg says it's different as they were "allowed" to do that. When asked to explain that, Mr Gregg says they allowed each other to shoot ducks. The ducks respond that they will do the same and shoot them this time. In this moment of situational irony, the Greggs are at the mercy of their own weapons and cannot justify why the ducks they were shooting at should not shoot them.
Mrs Gregg Says Surely They Wouldn't Shoot Children (Situational Irony)
While begging to be spared, Mrs Gregg says that surely the ducks will not shoot children. The mother duck then says that they shot all six of her children the day before. She points out to Mrs Gregg the absurdity of their asking for others to show them mercy when they themselves failed to do the same. In this tragic moment of dramatic irony, Mrs Gregg is asking the ducks to show them a compassion that was denied to them.
The Narrator Understands Nature Better than Mr Gregg (Situational Irony)
When the narrator tries to dissuade the Greggs from hunting, Mr Gregg dismisses her. He usually ignores or tells her to mind her own business, as she is just a child. However, as the story progresses, Mr Gregg comes to realize that the narrator has been right all along and that his lack of compassion for the ducks was wrong. In this instance of situational irony, the narrator's "childish" sympathy for animals proves to have a more mature and insightful understanding of the natural world than the adults around her do.
