- Who Gavin Maxwell was and why he wanted an unusual pet
- The SPCA’s advice on owning a pet, and the Iraq and London facts in the “Before You Read” box
- How Maxwell got his otter in Basra, and how the otter got its scientific name
- Mij’s love of water, his games and the frightening flight to London
- Life in London: the suitcase game, the wall, and the strange guesses of Londoners
- Mij’s nature, the themes, key lines and the grammar points the book teaches
- Short answers to every “Oral Comprehension Check” and “Thinking about the Text” question
1Getting Ready for the Chapter
1.1 The Writer and His Problem
The story is told by Gavin Maxwell in his own words, so it is a true account written in the first person (“I”). The “Before You Read” note tells us three things about him:
- He lived in a cottage at Camusfearna, in the West Highlands of Scotland.
- His dog Jonnie had died, and he felt too sad to think of keeping another dog.
- Yet a home with no pet felt lonely. The chapter tells us what he did about it.
1.2 The SPCA’s Advice on Owning a Pet
The first activity quotes the SPCA, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Its main point: a pet is not a toy, it is a serious responsibility.
A long commitment
A dog or a cat can live ten years or more, so owning one is a commitment for its whole life. The whole family should agree before getting one, or the animal may end up unwanted.
Cute looks can mislead
Puppies and kittens look so sweet that people buy them without thinking, and without knowing how to look after them. That is why their charm can work against them.
Before adopting a puppy
A yearly licence as the law requires, yearly vaccination, toilet training, grooming and bathing, obedience training, a balanced diet, socialisation (not keeping it caged or tied up), and daily exercise, love and play. Reading about the breed first also helps.
1.3 Iraq and London: Two Very Different Homes
Otters live in large numbers in the marshes (wet land near lakes, rivers or seas) near Basra, a town in Iraq. The book asks what you would need in order to bring one to London. Its fact box compares the two places:
| Point | Iraq | London |
|---|---|---|
| Land | Broad plains, marshes in the south near Iran, wide flooded areas; much of it is desert | A crowded, busy city with tall buildings but also many parks and open spaces |
| Climate | Cool winters; dry, hot, cloudless summers; cold winters and heavy snow in the mountains near Iran and Turkey | Temperate (neither very hot nor very cold), with light rain or snow through the year |
| Extra facts | Spring snow-melt floods central and southern Iraq | July is warmest, January coolest, February driest; snow is not common |
An otter is a water animal from warm marshes. Taking it to a busy, cool city, and keeping it in a flat, is a big change. Keep this in mind when you read how Mij behaves in London.
2The Story, Part by Part
2.1 Part I: The Idea and the Otter
Early in the New Year of 1956, Maxwell went to Southern Iraq. By then a new idea had come into his mind: why not keep an otter instead of a dog? His home, Camusfearna, had water all around it, just “a stone’s throw” (a very short distance) from the door. So it would be a very good place for this experiment.
He casually told a friend about it. The friend replied just as casually that he should get one from the Tigris marshes, where otters were “as common as mosquitoes” and where the Arabs often tamed them.
The long wait in Basra
The two men went to the Consulate-General in Basra to collect and answer their mail from Europe. The friend’s letters had come; Maxwell’s had not. Look at how the delays pile up:
When he took his letters to his bedroom, he found two Arabs squatting on the floor. Beside them was a sack that kept wriggling. They gave him a note from his friend: “Here is your otter…”
2.2 Part II: Getting to Know Mij
Maxwell says that opening the sack began a stage of his life that had still not ended. He calls it a thraldom to otters (being under their control) and an otter fixation (a very strong attachment). He adds that almost everyone who has owned an otter feels the same.
What the otter looked like
- It looked most like a tiny dragon of the kind people imagined in the Middle Ages (“medievally-conceived”).
- From head to tail it was covered in neat pointed scales of dried mud, like armour.
- Between the scales showed soft, velvety fur, like that of a chocolate-brown mole.
- When it shook itself, Maxwell almost expected a cloud of dust. In fact, it took him a month to clean off the last of the mud and see the otter “in his true colours”.
A new kind of otter
Maxwell named the otter Mijbil (Mij for short). It turned out to belong to a race that science had never recorded. Zoologists later gave it the scientific name Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli, which means Maxwell’s otter. So the species carries the writer’s name because he was the person who brought it to the notice of science.
Keeping a distance and showing no interest. This is how Mij behaved in his first twenty-four hours: neither unfriendly nor friendly.
From cold to cuddly
Mij and water
Wearing a body-belt that Maxwell had made, Mij was led on a lead to the bathroom. For half an hour Mij went mad with joy: diving and rolling, racing up and down the bathtub underwater, and splashing as much as a hippo would. Maxwell learnt that this is typical of otters:
- Every drop of water has to be spread about.
- A bowl must be tipped over, or, if it will not tip, sat in and splashed in until it overflows.
- Water must be kept moving; still water, to an otter, is “wasted and provoking”.
Two days later Mij slipped out of the bedroom and ran to the bathroom. By the time Maxwell got there, he was on the end of the bathtub, working at the chromium taps with his paws. In less than a minute he had a trickle, and soon the full flow. He had been lucky that time: later he sometimes turned the tap the wrong way, tighter still, and chittered with irritation and disappointment when it would not “cooperate”.
Play time
- Soon Mij followed Maxwell without a lead and came when called by name.
- He pushed a rubber ball round the room for hours, using all four feet like a four-footed soccer player, and could throw it high and far with a quick flick of his neck.
- His real play was lying on his back, juggling small things between his paws. Marbles were his favourite: he rolled two or more up and down his wide, flat belly and never let one fall.
- The experiment of keeping an otter as a pet instead of a dog. Camusfearna, with water close all round it, suited a water animal.
- To collect and answer his mail from Europe at the Consulate-General. He waited about a week or more, because his mail was late and his cable and phone calls failed.
- Two Arabs brought it in a sack with his friend’s note. Yes, he liked it: he calls the start of it “a thraldom to otters, an otter fixation” that has not ended.
- It was a kind unknown to science, and zoologists named it Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli after him.
- Aloof and indifferent.
- It went wild with joy, rolling and splashing for half an hour. Two days later it escaped to the bathroom and turned on the tap by itself.
2.3 Part III: The Box and the Flight
Life in Basra was calm, but Maxwell dreaded the journey to England. The British airline would not carry animals, so he booked a flight to Paris with another airline, and from Paris to London. This airline said Mij must travel in a box not more than eighteen inches square, kept on the floor at Maxwell’s feet.
The kind air hostess
His seat was right at the front. He spread newspapers on the floor, gave the air hostess a parcel of fish for Mij to keep cool, and told her what had just happened. She suggested he might like to keep the otter on his knee. He was so grateful that he says he could have kissed her hand.
“she was the very queen of her kind.”
Maxwell, on the air hostess
Meaning: she was the best of all air hostesses. She listened, understood his worry, offered a kind solution, and later stayed calm and charming when things went wrong.
Chaos on the plane
- The moment the box opened, Mij shot out and raced down the aircraft.
- Passengers squawked and shrieked; a woman stood on her seat screaming, “A rat! A rat!”
- Maxwell saw the tail vanish under the legs of a portly (stout) white-turbaned Indian. He dived for it, missed, and ended up with curry all over his face.
- Smiling sweetly, the air hostess asked him to go back to his seat and promised to find the animal and bring it to him.
- Soon he heard an anxious chitter of recognition and welcome; Mij jumped on to his knee and began to nuzzle (rub gently with the nose) his face and neck.
- In a box no more than eighteen inches square, on the floor at Maxwell’s feet, on a flight to Paris and then to London.
- He tore its lining to pieces and hurt himself, so blood leaked from the airholes.
- There was no other way to take him and only ten minutes were left. He must have felt sad, guilty and helpless.
- She understood his trouble, let him keep the otter on his knee, and calmly found Mij for him; she was the finest of her kind.
- Mij ran wild down the plane, a woman cried “A rat!”, Maxwell got curry on his face, and at last Mij came back and nuzzled him.
2.4 Part IV: Mij in London
After an eventful journey, they reached Maxwell’s flat in London and stayed there for nearly a month. Mij played for hours with ping-pong balls, marbles, rubber fruit and a terrapin shell (shell of a small turtle) that Maxwell had brought from his home marshes.
A suitcase had been damaged on the trip, so its closed lid sloped from one end to the other. Mij found that a ping-pong ball placed on the high end would roll down. He would rush round to the low end to ambush it (attack it from a hidden place), crouch and hide, leap out to surprise it, grab it and trot back to the top to start again. This kept him engrossed for up to half an hour.
Habits that a person or animal feels it must repeat and cannot control.
Children’s rituals and Mij’s ritual
School children (Maxwell’s comparison)
- Step exactly on the middle of each paving block
- Touch every seventh post of the iron railings
- Walk on the outside of every second lamp post
Mij on his walks
- Opposite the flat was a one-storey primary school with a low wall about two feet high
- On the way home, never on the way out, he pulled Maxwell to it
- He jumped up and galloped its full thirty yards, which badly distracted pupils and teachers
“What is it?” The Londoners’ guesses
Maxwell was not surprised that an ordinary Londoner could not recognise an otter, but the range of guesses amazed him. Otters belong to a fairly small group called the Mustellines, which also includes the badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat and mink. People named nearly every Mustelline except the otter. Other wild guesses:
There were also a squirrel, a beaver, a bear cub and a leopard (one that, Maxwell jokes, “had changed its spots”). Mij was called everything except an otter.
A workman digging a hole in the street put down his tool, set his hands on his hips and stared. His face showed surprise and affront, as if he suspected a joke was being played on him. As Maxwell came level with him, he spat, glared and growled, “what is that supposed to be?” Maxwell gave this question the top prize because it was so blunt and suspicious.
- Rolling a ping-pong ball down the sloping lid of a damaged suitcase, then racing to ambush it at the bottom and carrying it back up.
- Habits one cannot stop oneself from repeating. (i) Children step on the centre of paving blocks, touch every seventh railing upright, pass outside every second lamp post. (ii) Mij galloped along the school’s low wall on every walk home.
- The Mustellines, with the badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat and mink.
- A baby seal, a squirrel, a walrus, a hippo, a beaver, a bear cub, a leopard and a brontosaur, besides most other Mustellines.
3Characters
3.1 The Two Main Characters
Mijbil (Mij)
Intelligent: opens a tap, invents a ball game. Playful: soccer with a ball, juggling marbles, galloping on the wall. Water-loving: splashes in every bath and bowl. Affectionate: sleeps in the crook of Maxwell’s knees and nuzzles him on the plane. Shy at first: aloof for a day. Needs love and safety: panics in the closed box.
Gavin Maxwell
Animal lover: lonely without a pet. Careful observer: notes every habit of Mij. Caring: clears the sharp edges in the box, spreads newspapers, carries fish for Mij. Humorous: laughs at himself (curry on his face) and at Londoners’ guesses. Honest: admits he “did not know otters”.
Others
The friend: suggests the Tigris marshes and sends the otter. Two Arabs: deliver the sack. The air hostess: kind, calm, “the very queen of her kind”. The labourer: suspicious, asks the “best” question.
3.2 What Mij Does and What He Feels
Maxwell often “speaks for” Mij, telling us what the otter seems to feel (Thinking about the Text, Q4):
| What Mij does | How Mij feels or thinks |
|---|---|
| Plunges, rolls in the water, splashes about | Wild with joy; water must be kept moving, still water seems wasted and annoying |
| Screws the tap the wrong way | Irritated and disappointed that the tap will not cooperate |
| Nuzzles Maxwell’s face and neck on the plane | Relieved and happy to find his master again after the fright; it is a welcome and a sign of trust |
4Themes, Message and Key Lines
4.1 Themes
- Bond between humans and animals: a wild otter and a lonely man come to love and trust each other.
- Animals have feelings: Mij shows joy, irritation, fear and affection, much like a small child.
- Responsibility of keeping a pet: the SPCA box and the box disaster both show that a pet needs care, planning and understanding.
- Humour: the plane chaos and the Londoners’ guesses are told in a light, comic way.
Animals are intelligent and loving, and they respond to kindness. Anyone who keeps one must first learn about its needs, especially an unusual or wild animal.
4.2 Key Lines and Their Meaning
| Line from the book | Meaning |
|---|---|
| “as common as mosquitoes” | Otters were found in great numbers in the Tigris marshes. |
| “a thraldom to otters, an otter fixation” | Once you own an otter, you are hooked for life. |
| “in his true colours” | Mij’s real look only showed after a month, when the last mud was gone. |
| “when static it is wasted and provoking” | To an otter, still water is useless and annoying; it must be kept moving. |
| “like a four-footed soccer player” | Mij dribbled the ball with all four feet, just like a footballer. |
| “like a ricochetting bullet” | The car sped and swerved wildly through the streets to the airport. |
| “not knowing otters, I was quite unprepared for what followed” | Maxwell did not expect how fast and wild Mij would be once let out. |
5Thinking about the Text: Short Answers
- Intelligent, friendly, fun-loving, needs love: opens the tap, invents the suitcase game (intelligent); sleeps by Maxwell’s knees, follows him and comes when called (friendly); plays soccer with a ball, juggles marbles, gallops on the wall (fun-loving); nuzzles Maxwell after the scare on the plane and panics when shut in alone (needs love).
- Facts about otters: they live in marshes and love water; they keep water moving and overturn bowls; they play on their backs juggling small objects; they belong to the Mustellines; they can be tamed, as the Arabs did.
- Maxwell’s otter: Mij’s kind was new to science; zoologists named it Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli after the man who brought it to light.
- Feelings table: see section 3.2 above.
- True statements: (i) true: Mij plays like a small boy, sulks at the tap and has “compulsive habits” like children; (iii) true: Maxwell “watched, amazed” at the tap; (iv) true: the plane chase and curry; (v) true: every small habit is described; (vii) true: a race “previously unknown to science”. (ii) and (vi) are not true: he is amused, not irritated, and Mij is anything but ordinary.
6Thinking about Language
6.1 Would and Used To
Both would and used to describe actions repeated in the past that no longer happen: “Mij would follow me without a lead.” For past states or situations (verbs like be, have, believe, own), only used to is correct: “Till the 1980s, Shanghai used to have very dirty streets”, never “would have”.
6.2 Noun Modifiers
A noun can be described by an adjective (symmetrical pointed scales), by another noun (otter fixation, iron railings), or by a proper noun (the Tigris marshes, the London streets). Several can stack up: “soft velvet fur” is adjective plus noun; “a four-footed soccer player” is adjective plus noun too.
6.3 Words for Quantity
Maxwell “half expected a cloud of dust”. Such phrases give an amount of something that is not usually counted: a bit of advice, a lump of clay, a piece of information, a cloud of smoke, a bunch of flowers, a pool of blood, flakes of snow, a gust of wind, a pot of gold.
7Words to Know
| Word / phrase | Meaning (book’s glossary) |
|---|---|
| crossed my mind | a thought came into my mind |
| a stone’s throw | a very short distance |
| cabled | sent a message by telegraph |
| squirmed | twisted about |
| thraldom | (old fashioned) being under the control of |
| fixation | a very strong attachment or feeling |
| christened | named |
| hostile | unfriendly |
| apathy | absence of interest |
| provoking | causing anger or some other reaction |
| fumbling | trying to do something in a clumsy manner |
| flick | a quick, light movement |
| dreaded the prospect | was in great fear of something that would happen in the future |
| an appalling spectacle | a shocking scene |
| whipped off | quickly took off |
| ricochetting bullet | a bullet which changes direction after hitting a surface |
| infuriated | very angry |
| took her into my confidence | shared with her my experiences or secrets |
| portly | stout |
| bounded on to | climbed up quickly |
| engrossed | completely interested in |
| ambush | to attack suddenly from a hidden position |
| upright | (here) post or rod placed straight up |
| distraction | something that takes away one’s attention from what one is doing |
| barrage of conjectural questions | a stream of questions filled with guesses |
- Gavin Maxwell, cottage at Camusfearna (West Highlands, Scotland); dog Jonnie died; lonely without a pet
- SPCA: pet = lifelong commitment, whole family decides, puppy checklist
- 1956, Southern Iraq: otter instead of a dog; Tigris marshes, otters “as common as mosquitoes”
- Basra Consulate-General: mail late, cable, three failed phone days, mail five days later; two Arabs, sack, “Here is your otter”
- Mud-armoured “dragon”, chocolate-brown fur; a month to clean; named Mijbil
- New species: Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli = Maxwell’s otter
- First day aloof; second night in the crook of his knees; bathtub joy; turns the tap in under a minute
- Rubber ball soccer, marbles juggled on his belly
- British airline refused animals; Paris then London; box 18 inches square; lining torn, blood; 10 minutes, 5 miles
- Air hostess = “very queen of her kind”; Mij on the knee; “A rat!”, curry, nuzzling
- London, nearly a month: suitcase ping-pong game; school wall 2 feet high, 30 yards, only on the way home
- Mustellines: badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat, mink; guesses up to a brontosaur; the labourer’s question
- Can I explain why Camusfearna suited the “experiment”?
- Can I list the delays in Basra in order?
- Can I say why the otter is called Maxwell’s otter?
- Can I describe the box disaster and the scene on the plane?
- Can I explain why the air hostess was “the very queen of her kind”?
- Can I describe Mij’s suitcase game and his compulsive habit?
- Can I name the Mustellines and four guesses the Londoners made?
- Can I use would and used to correctly?