Mijbil the Otter Class 10: Summary and Question Answers

Mijbil the Otter Class 10 (many students search it as Mijbil the Other) is Gavin Maxwell's true account of the otter he brought from Iraq to London. This guide gives you a clear summary in order, Mijbil's habits and games, the themes, and eight board-style question answers.

Summary: An Otter Instead of a Dog

Gavin Maxwell lives at Camusfearna in the West Highlands of Scotland. After losing his dog Jonnie, he feels lonely and thinks about a different kind of pet.

In early 1956 he travels to Southern Iraq. He decides that Camusfearna, ringed by water, would be a good place to try keeping an otter instead of a dog. A friend tells him that otters are as common as mosquitoes in the Tigris marshes and are often tamed by the local Arabs.

Maxwell goes to Basra to collect his mail. His friend's mail comes quickly, but Maxwell's is delayed by several days because of telegraph delays and religious holidays. When it finally comes, he returns to his room to find two Arabs with a sack that squirms. Inside is his otter, a gift from his friend.

Maxwell says he fell into thraldom to otters, a feeling of being under their spell that he thinks many otter owners share. When the otter first comes out of the sack, it is covered in mud and looks like a medievally-conceived dragon. Under the mud is chocolate-brown velvet fur.

Summary: Mijbil Settles In

At first Mijbil is aloof. He sleeps on the floor, far from Maxwell's bed. By the second night he sleeps in the crook of Maxwell's knees, and a close bond begins.

His biggest passion is water. He splashes and spreads it everywhere, as if water must always be moving. He even manages to turn the bathroom tap and gets cross when it does not run. He invents games too: he dribbles a rubber ball with his feet like a soccer player, and he lies on his back juggling marbles on his flat belly without letting them fall.

The narrative says this kind of otter was then unknown to science and was given the name Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli, after Maxwell.

Summary: The Flight to London

The airline Maxwell first approaches will not carry animals, so he books a different route through Paris. The rule for this journey is that the otter must travel in a box no more than eighteen inches square, kept at his feet. He puts Mijbil in the box and goes out for a hurried meal.

When he comes back, the box is bloodstained. Mijbil has hurt himself trying to escape and has torn the lining. Maxwell removes the sharp-edged pieces. Only ten minutes are left before the flight, and the airport is five miles away. The car tears through Basra like a ricochetting bullet, and he just makes the plane.

A kind air hostess, whom Maxwell calls the very queen of her kind, understands his distress and suggests he keep the otter on his knee. But as soon as the box is opened, Mijbil vanishes in a flash down the aircraft. Passengers panic, and one woman stands on her seat screaming that it is a rat. Diving for Mijbil's tail, Maxwell ends up with a face full of curry.

The air hostess calmly offers to find the otter. While Maxwell waits, Mijbil comes back on his own, climbs onto his knee and nuzzles his face and neck with a chitter of recognition.

Summary: Life in London

In a London flat, Mijbil plays for hours with ping-pong balls, marbles and a terrapin shell. He invents a game with a damaged suitcase that has a sloping lid: he puts a ball at the high end, dashes round to ambush it at the low end as it rolls down, and starts again.

Maxwell walks him on a lead like a dog. Mijbil develops compulsive habits, like a child. Outside a primary school he always jumps onto a low wall and gallops along it, distracting the pupils and staff inside.

Londoners make funny guesses about what he is: a seal, a squirrel, and, outside a dog show, a hippo. One person simply asks what the creature is supposed to be.

Themes and Message

• Bond between human and animal: The friendship is mutual. Mijbil's chitter of recognition on the plane shows he sees Maxwell as safe.
• Animal intelligence: Turning a tap and inventing games show Mijbil can observe and solve problems.
• Humour: The rat scare, the curry and the London guesses keep the account light.
• Care for an animal's needs: The bloodied box shows how distressing travel can be for a wild animal. The chapter is a personal account from the past, not advice to keep an otter as a pet.

Important Question Answers

1. Why did Maxwell think Camusfearna was right for an otter? It was ringed by water, so an otter would have the watery surroundings it needs.

2. What does Maxwell mean by thraldom to otters? He means a strong attachment and fascination, as if otter owners are under the animal's spell.

3. How did Mijbil's behaviour change in the first two days? On the first night he was aloof and slept far away on the floor. By the second night he slept in the crook of Maxwell's knees.

4. What happened to Mijbil in the box before the flight? He hurt himself trying to escape and tore the lining, so the box was bloodstained. Maxwell removed the sharp pieces before rushing to the airport.

5. Why did Maxwell call the air hostess the very queen of her kind? She was sympathetic and helpful, and suggested he keep the otter on his knee for its comfort.

6. How did the passengers react when Mijbil escaped? They panicked. One woman stood on her seat screaming, mistaking the otter for a rat.

7. Describe the game Mijbil invented with the suitcase. He placed a ball at the high end of the sloping lid, ran to the low end to ambush it as it rolled down, and then carried it back to the top to start again.

8. Is Mijbil an intelligent animal? Give evidence. Yes. He learnt to turn the tap to get water and invented a game with the suitcase. These show he could watch how things work and use his surroundings creatively for play.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• The title is Mijbil the Otter, not Mijbil the Other.
• Do not say Mijbil escaped from the plane. He ran down the cabin and then came back to Maxwell himself.
• Do not write that the box lining was metal. The story does not say so.
• Do not confuse Camusfearna (Maxwell's home in Scotland) with Basra (the city in Iraq where he got Mijbil).

The chapter also has Carl Sandburg's poem Fog. When you are ready to test yourself, study this chapter with Joy.