 In the case of the Punch cartoon, we might interpret it in a second way by adding to our initial paraphrase, understanding the Napoleon III-as-porcupine caricature as an allusion to another famous “Louis” King of France: Louis XII, who ruled from 1498 to 1515. Popularly known as the “porcupine” King of France, he adopted the animal as his royal emblem, portraying the French kingdom as a porcupine -- an animal he chose because it was popularly believed (to some extent now as well as then) that it could shoot its quills, symbolizing the offensive and defensive capabilities of the king’s army. 