# Smells explained — The Story of Doctor Dolittle

> Chapter companion for The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting.

## What happens

The Doctor enlists eagles to search for the boy's lost uncle, but they fail. Jip then uses his extraordinary sense of smell to identify the uncle's scent from a snuff-filled handkerchief and vows to find him.

## Themes in this chapter

### Communication and Understanding

The Doctor communicates with eagles and Jip to solve the problem, highlighting cross-species cooperation.

### Adventure and Exploration

The search for the lost uncle across seas and lands, using eagles and scent tracking, embodies the spirit of adventure.

## Character check-ins

### Doctor Dolittle

Organizes the search for the boy's uncle, first via eagles and then by consulting Jip.

### Jip

Demonstrates his remarkable olfactory abilities, identifying the uncle's snuff scent and planning to track him by smell.

### Gub-Gub

Skeptical of Jip's claims, teases him about finding a man by smell, and is scared of the eagles.

### Dab-Dab

Suggests using eagles for the search and later expresses concern about the boy's welfare.

### Too-Too

Mentions Polynesia's cleverness in escaping prison, though not directly present.

## Key lines

> Your uncle must now be found ,” said the Doctor⁠—“that is the next thing⁠—now that we know he wasn’t thrown into the sea.”

The Doctor declares that finding the boy's uncle is the next priority, since they've confirmed he wasn't thrown overboard.

_Sets the chapter's central goal._

> Eagles do not talk very much. And all they answered in their husky voices was, “You may be sure that we will do our best⁠—for John Dolittle.”

The eagles are brief and loyal, promising to do their utmost for the Doctor.

_Highlights the eagles' respect for the Doctor._

> Snuff , by Jingo!⁠—Black Rappee snuff. Don’t you smell it? His uncle took snuff⁠—Ask him, Doctor.

Jip excitedly identifies the snuff scent on the uncle's handkerchief, confirming the man used snuff.

_Key moment where Jip discovers the crucial clue._

> I don’t need any light to look for a man who smells of Black Rappee snuff,” said Jip as he climbed the stairs. “If the man had a hard smell, like string, now⁠—or hot water, it would be different. But snuff !⁠—Tut, tut!”

Jip boasts that tracking a snuff-scented man is easy, unlike more challenging smells like string or hot water.

_Shows Jip's confidence and expertise in scent tracking._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_story_of_doctor_dolittle_se/chapters/xviii-smells
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_story_of_doctor_dolittle_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_story_of_doctor_dolittle_se/chapters