Gujarat Board GSEB Class 10 English Textbook Solutions First Flight Chapter 8 Mijbil the Otter Textbook Exercise Important Questions and Answers, Notes Pdf.
Gujarat Board Textbook Solutions Class 10 English First Flight Chapter 8 Mijbil the Otter
GSEB Class 10 English Mijbil the Otter Text Book Questions and Answers
Oral Comprehension Check (Textbook Page No. 106)
Question 1.
What ‘experiment’ did Maxwell think Camusfearna would be suitable for?
Answer:
Maxwell thought that he would keep an otter instead of a dog. Camusfearna, ringed by water a very short distance from its door, would be an eminently suitable spot for the experiment.
Question 2.
Why does he go to Basra ? How long does he wait there, and why ?
Answer:
He went to Basra, to the Consulate- General, to collect and answer his mail from Europe. He had to wait there for five days. To start with, his mail didn’t reach on time. Then he tried ttf make a telephone .call. This incident is of those days when one had tp book an international call 24 hrs in advance. The telephone line was not working properly on the first day. Next day it was some religious, holiday so it was not working. Finally after a tortuous wait of five days his mail arrived.
Question 3.
How does he get the otter ? Does he like it ? Pick out the words that tell you this.
Answer:
When he received his mail, he carried it to his bedroom to read. There, he saw two Arabs and beside them was a sack that twisted from time to time. They handed him a note from his friend saying that he had sent him an otter. Yes, he liked it. We know this because he uses the term ‘otter fixation’ to refer to his feeling towards the otter. He felt that this otter fixation or this strong attachment towards otters was something that was shared by most other people who had ever owned one.
Question 4.
Why was the otter named ‘Maxwell’s otter’ ?
Answer:
The otter was of a race previously unknown to science and was at length named by zoologists Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli or Maxwell’s otter.
Question 5.
Give the right answer. In the beginning, the otter was ………………..
(a) aloof and indifferent
(b ) friendly
(c) hostile
Answer:
In the beginning, the otter was aloof and indifferent.
Question 6.
What happened when Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom ? What did it do two days after that ?
Answer:
When Maxwell took Mijbil to the bathroom, it went wild with joy in the water for half an hour. It was plunging and rolling in it, shooting up and down the’length of the bathtub underwater, and making enough slosh and splash for a hippo. Two days after that, it escaped from his bedroom to the bathroom. By the time he got there, Mijbil was up on the end of the bathtub .and fumbling at the chromium taps with its paws. In less than a minute, it had turned the tap far enough to produce some water and after a moment, achieved the full flow.
(Textbook Page No. 108 – 109)
Question 7.
How Was Mij to be transported to England ?
Answer:
Maxwell booked a flight to Paris and from there he would go on to London. The airline insisted that Mij should be packed in a box (not more than eighteen inches square) that was to be placed on the floor, near his feet.
Question 8.
What did Mij do to the box?
Answer:
The box was lined with metal sheet. Mij didn’t find it comfortable to be there so tried to escape. In its attempt to escape Mij tore into the metal lining of the box. As a result it hurt itself and started bleeding.
Question 9.
Why did Maxwell put the otter back in the box? How do you think he felt when he did this ?
Answer:
As there was no other way to carry Mij to London so the author had put it back into the box. He must have felt pity in the way the otter had hurt itself. Moreover, he must be worried as well.
Question 10.
Why does Maxwell say the airhostess was “the very queen of her kind”? (March 20)
Answer:
Maxwell said that the airhostess was “the very queen of her kind” because she was extremely friendly and helpful. He took her into his confidence about the incident with the box. She suggested that he might prefer to have his pet on his knee. Hearing this, he developed a profound admiration for her, for she understood the pain of both the otter and its owner.
Question 11.
What happened when the box was opened ?
Answer:
When the box was opened, Mij went out of the box. He disappeared at a high speed down the aircraft. There were cries all around. A woman stood up on her seat screaming that there was a rat. He saw Mij’s tail disappearing beneath the legs of an Indian passenger. He dived for it, but missed. The airhostess suggested him to be seated and that she would find the otter. After a while, Mij had returned to him. It climbed on his knee and began to rub its nose on his face and neck.
(Text Book Page No. 110)
Question 12.
What game had Mij invented?
Answer:
Mij had invented a game with ping- pong ball. He would put the ball at one end of a sloping lid and then grab it as it ran to the other end.
Question 13.
What are ‘compulsive habits’ ? What does Maxwell say are the compulsive habits of
(i) school children
(ii) Mij ?
Answer:
Compulsive habits are usually strange acts or behaviour which a person does without clear reason.
On their way to and from school, children make it a habit to place their feet exactly on the centre of each paving block. Similarly, Mij had made it a habit to jump on to the school wall and go galloping all along its length of thirty yards.
Question 14.
What group of animals do otters belong to ?
Answer:
Otters belong to a comparatively small group of. animals called Mustellines, shared by the badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat, mink and others.
Question 15.
What guesses did the Londoners make about what Mij was ?
Answer:
According to Maxwell, the average Londoner does not recognize an otter. The Londoners who saw Mij made different guesses about who Mij was. They guessed, among other things, that it was a baby seal, a squirrel, a walrus, a hippo, a beaver, a bear cub, a leopard and a brontosaur.
Thinking about the Text
Question 1.
What things does Mij do which tell you that he is an intelligent, friendly and fun-loving animal who needs love ?
Answer:
Mij was an intelligent animal. It invented its own game out of the ping-pong balls. It screwed the tap till water began to flow and then it would play and splash in the water. Though it was aloof and indifferent in the beginning, it soon became very friendly. It formed a special attachment with Maxwell. It responded when Maxwell called out his name.
It grew desperate when Maxwell left it in a box and it got hurt while trying to come out of it. After Maxwell took it out, it clung to his feet. It was a fun-loving animal. It enjoyed playing all kinds of games. It would play with a selection of toys, ping-pong balls, marbles, rubber fruit and a terrapin shell. It required love and affection from Maxwell and it got that readily.
Question 2.
What are some of the things we come to know about otters from this text ?
Answer:
Otters belong to a comparatively small group of animals called Mustellines, shared by the badger, mongoose, weasel, stoat, mink and others. Maxwell’s otter was of a race previously unknown to science and was at length named by zoologists Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli or Maxwell’s otter. They are found in large numbers in marshes.
They are often tamed by the Arabs. It is characteristic of otters that every drop of water must be extended and spread about the place; a bowl must at once be overturned, or, if it would not be overturned, be sat in and splashed in until’it overflowed. For them, water must be kept on the move. Otters love playing various games, especially with a ball.
Question 3.
Why is Mij’s species nowjknown to the world as Maxwell’s otter?
Answer:
Maxwell’s otter was of a race previously unknown to science and was at length rfhmed by zoologists Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli or Maxwell’s otter.
Question 4.
Maxwell in the story speaks for the otter, Mij. He tells us what the otter feels and thinks on different occasions. Given below are some things the otter does. Complete the column on the right to say what Maxwell says about what Mij feels and thinks.
| What Mij does | How Mij feels or thinks |
| Plunges, rolls in the water and makes the water splosh and splash | ……………………………………… |
| Screws the tap in the wrong way | …………………………………….. |
| Nuzzles Maxwell’s face and neck in the aeroplane | ……………………………………… |
Answer:
| What Mij does | How Mij feels or thinks |
| Plunges, rolls in the water and makes the water splosh and splash | went wild with joy |
| Screws the tap in the wrong way | irritated and disappointed |
| Nuzzles Maxwell’s face and neck in the aeroplane | distressed chitter of recognition and welcome |
Question 5.
Read the story and find the sentences where Maxwell describes his pet otter. Then choose and arrange your sentences to illustrate those statements below that you think are true.
Maxwell’s description
(1) makes Mij seem almost human, like a small boy.
(2) shows that he is often irritated with what Mij does.
(3) shows that he is often surprised by what Mij does.
(4) of Mij’s antics is comical.
(5) shows that he observes the antics of Mij very carefully.
(6) shows that he thinks Mij is a very ordinary ottef.
(7) shows that he thinks the otter is very unusual.
Answer:
(1) He spent most of his time in play.
(3) I watched, amazed; in less than a minute he had turned the tap far enough to produce a trickle of water, and after a moment or.two achieved the full flow.
(5) A suitcase that I had taken to Iraq had become damaged on the journey home, so that the lid, when closed, remained at a slope from one end to the other. Mij discovered that if he placed the ball on the high end it would run down the length of the suitcase. He would dash around to the other end to ambush its arrival, hide from it, crouching, to spring up and take it by surprise, grab it and trot off with it to the high end once more.
(6) It is not, I suppose, in any way strange that the average Londoner should not recognize an otter, but the variety of guesses as to what kind of animal this might be came as a surprise to me. Mij was anything but an otter.
(7) He gave me some flowers on my birthday. He gave me a bunch of flowers on my birthday.
Thinking about Language
1. From the table below, make as many correct sentences as you can using would and / or used to, as appropriate. (Hint: First decide whether the words in italics show an action, or a state or situation, in the past.) Then add two or three sentences of your own to it.
Answer:
(1) Emperor Akbar used to be fond of musical evenings.
(2) Every evening we used to take long walks on the beach.
(3) Fifty years ago, very few people used to own cars.
(4) Till the 1980s, Shanghai used to have very dirty streets.
(5) My uncle would spend his holidays by the sea.
(6) My uncle used to take long walks on the beach.
(7) My uncle used to be fond of musical evenings.
Question 2.
Noun Modifiers
(I) Look at these examples from the text, and say whether the modifiers (in italics) are nouns, proper nouns, or adjective plus noun.
(1) An otter fixation
(2) The iron railings
(3) The Tigris marshes
(4) The London streets
(5) soft velvet fur
(6) A four-footed soccer player
Answer:
(1) Noun
(2) Noun
(3) Proper noun
(4) Proper noun
(5) Adjective plus noun
(6) Adjective plus noun
(II) Given below are some nouns, and a set of modifiers (in the box). Combine the nouns and modifiers to make as many appropriate phrases as you can. (Hint: The nouns and modifiers are all from the texts in this book.)
Nouns:
temple – girls – triangle – dresses
person – thoughts – boys – roar
gifts – scream – farewell – expression
time – subject – landscape – handkerchief
crossing – flight- chatterbox – profession
physique – coffee – view – celebration
Modifiers:
college – rough – hundred – stone – ordinary
love – uncomfortable – white – slang – slack
rare – railroad – tremendous – family – marriage
Plump – invigorating – panoramic – heartbreaking – birthday
incorrigible – ridiculous loud – first – three
Answer:
Temple – white temple, stone temple, first temple
Person – incorrigible person, ridiculous person
Gifts – hundred gifts, ordinary gifts, birthday gifts
Time-college time, rough time, first time, family time .
Crossing – railroad crossing, first crossing
Physique – plump physique, ordinary physique
Girls-first three girls, incorrigible three girls, plump girls, college girls
Thoughts – incorrigible thoughts, uncomfortable thoughts, ridiculous thoughts, heartbreaking thoughts, first thoughts, ordinary thoughts
Scream – tremendous scream, loud scream
Subject – college subject, ordinary subject
Flight-rough flight, first flight
Coffee – invigorating coffee, ordinary coffee
Triangle – love triangle
Boys-college boys, incorrigible boys, rough boys, hundred boys
Farewell – college farewell, heartbreaking farewell
Landscape – bare landscape, rough landscape, white landscape
Chatterbox – incorrigible chatterbox
View – tremendous view, panoramic view, ordinary view
Dresses – hundred dresses, ordinary dresses, birthday dresses, marriage dresses
Roar – tremendous roar, loud roar
Expression – bare expression, slang expression, slack expression
Handkerchief – white handkerchief, ordinary handkerchief
Profession – family profession, first profession, ordinary profession
Celebration – tremendous celebration, family celebration, birthday celebration
3.
Question 1.
Match the words on the left with a word on the right. Some words on the left can go with more than one word on the right.
(1) a portion of – blood
(2) a pool of – cotton
(3) flakes of – stones
(4) a huge heap of – gold
(5) a gust of – fried fish
(6) little drops of – snow
(7) a piece of – water
(8) a pot of – wind
Answer:
(1) a portion of – fried fish
(2) a pool of – blood
(3) flakes of – snow
(4) a huge heap of – stones
(5) a gust of – wind
(6) little drops of – water
(7) a piece of – cotton
(8) a pot of – gold
(II) Use a bit of/ a piece of/a bunch of/a cloud of/a lump of with the italicised nouns in the following sentences. The first has been done for you as an example.
(1) My teacher gave me some advice. – My teacher gave me a bit of advice.
(2) Can you give me some clay, please ? – ……………………………………
(3 ) The information you gave was very useful. – …………………………………….
(4) Because of these factories, smoke hangs over the city. – ……………………………
(5) Two stones rubbed together can produce sparks of fire. – …………………………..
(6) He gave me some flowers on my birthday. – ………………………………..
Answer:
(1) My teacher gave me some advice. – My teacher gave me a bit of advice.
(2) Can you give me some clay, please ? – Can you give me a lump of clay, please ?
(3)The information you gave was very useful. The piece of information you gave was very useful.
(4) Because of these factories, smoke hangs over the city. Because of these factories, a cloud of smoke hangs over the city.
(5) Two stones rubbed together can produce sparks of fire. Two pieces of stones rubbed together can produce sparks of fire.
(6) He gave me some flowers on my birthday. He gave me a bunch of flowers on my birthday.
GSEB Class 10 English Mijbil the Otter Additional Important Questions and Answers
Read the following passages and select the most appropriate answers to the questions given below them:
Question 1.
I cabled to England, and when, three days later, nothing had happened, I tried to telephone. The call had to be booked twentyfour hours in advance. On the first day the line was out of order; on the second the exchange was closed for a religious holiday. On the third day there was another breakdown. My friend left, and I arranged to meet him in a week’s time. Five days later, my mail arrived.
I carried it to my bedroom to read, and there, squatting on the floor, were two Arabs; beside them lay a sack that squirmed from time to time. They handed me a note from my friend :“Here is your otter ……………..’’ With the opening of that sack began a phase of my life that has not yet ended, and may, for all I know, not end before I do. It is, in effect, a thraldom to otters, an otter fixation, that I have since found to be shared by most other people, who have ever owned one.
1. ‘I cabled to England’ means ……………….
A. I did electrification in England.
B. I reached England by a cable-car.
C. I sent message to England through telegraph.
D. I telephoned to England.
Answer:
C. I sent message to England through telegraph.
2. The writer could not contact the concerned person the second day because of ………………
A. the telephone-line being out of order.
B. there was some breakdown.
C. non-booking of the call twenty-four hours in advance.
D. the exchange being closed for a religious holiday.
Answer:
D. the exchange being closed for a religious holiday.
3. Pick out the correct sentence from the following:
A. The two Arabs were sitting on chairs.
B. The two Arabs were sitting with knees bent on the floor.
C. The two Arabs were sitting with knees bent on a raised platform.
D. The Arabs kept on standing with folded hands.
Answer:
B. The two Arabs were sitting with knees bent on the floor.
4. The word ‘thraldom’ in the extract means………………….
A. ‘being under the control of’.
B. ‘being in the company of’.
C. ‘being overwhelmed with’.
D. ‘being under the influence of’.
Answer:
A. ‘being under the control of’.
Question 2.
Mijbil, as I called the otter, was, in fact, of a race previously unknown to science, and was at length christened by zoologists Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli, or Maxwell’s otter. For the first twenty-four hours Mijbil was neither hostile nor friendly; he was simply aloof and indifferent, choosing to sleep on the floor as ‘far from my bed as possible. The second night Mijbil came on to my bed in the small hours and remained asleep in the crook of my knees until, the servant brought tea in the morning, and during the day he began to lose his apathy and take a keen, much too keen, interest in his surroundings.
I made a body-belt for him and took him on a lead to the bathroom, where for half an hour he went wild with joy in the water, plunging and rolling in it, shooting up and down the length of the bathtub underwater, and making enough slosh and splash for a hippo. This, I was to learn, is a characteristic of otters; every drop of water must be, so to speak, extended and spread about the place; a bowl must at once be overturned, or, if it will not be overturned, be sat in and sploshed in until it overflows. Water must be kept on the move and made to do things; when static it is wasted and provoking.
1. The zoologists named the otter ……………….
A. Lutrogale perspicillata maxwelli.
B. Maxwell’s otter.
C. Mijbil.
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B
Answer:
D. Both ‘A’ and ‘B
2. First day and night, Mijbul ……………..
A. was greatly disturbed.
B. was inimical.
C. kept away from the writer.
D. was cordial.
Answer:
C. kept away from the writer.
3. Which place in the writer’s house was greatly admired by Mijbil ?
A. Bathroom
B. Bedroom
C. Garden
D. Kitchen
Answer:
A. Bathroom
4. ……………… was provoking for the otter.
A. His body-belt
B. Bathtub water
C. Static water
D. Slosh and splash
Answer:
C. Static water
Question 3.
I sat in the back of the car with the box beside me as the driver tore through the streets of Basra like a ricocheting bullet. The aircraft was waiting to take off; I was rushed through to it by infuriated officials. Luckily, the seat booked for me was at the extreme front. I covered the floor around my feet with newspapers, rang for the air hostess, and gave her a parcel of fish (for Mij) to keep in a cool place.
I took her into my confidence about the events of the last half hour. I have retained the most profound admiration for that air hostess; she was the very queen of her kind. She suggested that I might prefer to have my pet on my knee, and I could have kissed her hand in the depth of my gratitude. But, not knowing otters, I was quite unprepared for what followed.
1. The words ‘tore through’ in the extract means …………………
A. ‘drove with great speed through’.
B. ‘met .with an accident’.
C. ‘crossed in a zigzag way’.
D. ‘travelled through’.
Answer:
A. ‘drove with great speed through’.
2. What angered the air-officials ?
A. That the writer was carrying a huge box with him.
B. That the writer was carrying an animal with him in the flight.
C. That the flight was getting delayed because of the writer coming late.
D. That the writer was arguing against allotting him the extreme front seat.
Answer:
C. That the flight was getting delayed because of the writer coming late.
3. How could have the writer shown his thankfulness to the airhostess ?
A. He could have admired her as a queen.
B. He could have given her some tip.
C. He could have kissed her hand.
D. He could have gifted the otter to her.
Answer:
C. He could have kissed her hand.
4. The phrase ‘took her in my confidence’ means …………………
A. ‘shared my experiences with her’.
B. ‘got her do what I wanted her to do’.
C. ‘requested her to store fish for Mijbil in a cool place’.
D. ‘made friends with her’.
Answer:
A. ‘shared my experiences with her’.
Answer the following questions in three to four sentences each:
Question 1.
How was Mij to be transported to England ?
Answer:
The British airline to London would not fly animals. So, Maxwell booked a flight to Paris on another airline and from there to London. The airline insisted that Mij should be packed into a box not more than eighteen inches square. Thus, Mij was transported to England in that box, which was kept on the floor at the writer’s feet.
Question 2.
Why did Maxwell get his mail after five days and what did he do to get it ?
Answer:
Maxwell got his mail after 5 days due to some delay. He cabled and tried to telephone in order to get his mail.
Question 3.
What did the otter look like?
Answer:
The otter looked like a small dragon belonging to the middle ages. It was covered with symmetrical pointed scales of mud. One could see between the scales a soft velvet fur like that of a chocolate-brown mole.
Question 4.
What did Mijbil do during the second night ?
Answer:
Mijbil came on to Maxwell’s bed soon after midnight. It remained asleep in the crook of his knees until the morning.
Question 5.
What, according to the writer, is the ‘real play’ of the otter?
Answer:
The real play of an otter is lying on his s back and juggling with small objects between his paws. Mijbil would roll two or more marbles ? up and down on his wide, fat belly. He never s dropped one to the floor.
Question 6.
Why was the narrator not able to communicate when there was a delay in the arrival of the mail ?
Answer:
The narrator was not able to contact because the telephone lines had to be booked twenty-four hours in advance. On the first day, the line was out of order; on the second day, the exchange was closed for a religious holiday; and on the third day, there was a breakdown.
Question 7.
What was the first characteristic of the otter discovered by the narrator?
Answer:
The first thing that the narrator observed about the otter was that he liked to play with water. When he was taken to the bathroom, for half an hour he went wild in the water with joy. He was plunging, jumping and ’ rolling in the water.
Question 8.
How did Mij spend his time ?
Answer:
Mij spent most of his time in play. He spent hours shuffling the rubber ball round the room like a four-footed soccer player. His real play was when he used to juggle small objects between his paws. Marbles were his favourite toy for his pastime.
Question 9.
While staying in London, what was the pastime of Mij ?
Answer:
While staying in London, Mijbil would play for hours with his own selection of toys. His favourite toys were ping-pong balls, marbles, rubber fruit and a terrapin shell that the narrator had bought from his native marshes.
Question 10.
How did Mij behave outside the house in London ?
Answer:
Mij used to follow the narrator while walking on the streets. He developed certain habits during those walks. He went with him like children playing, running and touching things in the street. He would take the author near the wall of a primary school and then gallop on it.
Answer the following question in five to six sentences each:
Question 1.
The narrator called the airhostess the queen of her kind. This shows how caring and supportive she was. Do you find such people these days ? Are people having a change in their values ?
Answer:
In today’s world, it is getting difficult to find people who show their care and support. Rather than helping others, they start giving excuses and quote rules and regulations. Earlier, people used to think about the situation faced by others and helped them in all possible ways. This is changing because of the change in the values of the people. People give first priority to their own safety and security. They care for themselves first and then think about others.
Grammar
Rectify the errors in each of the following lines as shown in the example:
(1)
Answer:
In the opening of the sack began a phase of my life, who has not since ended, and may, for all I know, not end before I did. It is, in effect, a thraldom of otters, an otter fixation.
Example:
| Error | Correction |
| In | With |
| who | that |
| since | yet |
| did | do |
| of | to |
(2)
Answer:
I sat on the back of the car with the box besides me as the driver torn through the streets of Basra as a ricocheting bullet. The aircraft was waiting to be taken off.
Example:
| Error | Correction |
| on | in |
| besides | beside |
| torn | tore |
| as | like |
| be taken off | take off |
Turn the following dialogues into Indirect Speech:
Question 1.
The otter was no more in the sight. I said to the airhostess, “Would you please help me find out my otter?”
“Perhaps,” said the airhostess with the most charming smile, “it would be better if you resumed your seat, and I will find the animal and bring it to you.”
Answer:
The otter was no more in the sight, so I requested the airhostess to help me find out my otter. With the most charming smile, the airhostess requested me to resume my seat and added gracefully that she would find the animal and bring it to me.
Question 2.
“CHAI-GARAM………….. garam-chai,” a vendor called out in a high-pitched voice.
He came up to their window and asked,” Ghai, sa’ab ?”
“Give us two cups,” Pranjol said.
“Do you know that over eighty crore cups of tea are drunk everyday throughout the world?” Rajvir said.
“Whew!” exclaimed Pranjol. ‘Tea really is very popular.”
Answer:
A tea-vendor was hawking for his hot- tea in a high-pitched voice. He came up to their window and asked respectfully if they would take tea. Pranjol asked him to give them two cups of the tea. Then Rajvir shared his information with Pranjol by asking him if he knew that over eighty crore cups of tea are drunk everyday throughout the world. Pranjol exclaimed with surprise and said that tea is very popular.
Rewrite as directed:
(1) Otters are as common as mosquitoes in the Tigris marshes. (Change the Degree.)
(2) The call had to be booked twenty-four hours in advance at that time. (Change the Voice.)
(3) For the first twenty-four hours, Mijbil was neither hostile nor friendly. (Use ‘either……..or’.)
(4) When I returned, there was an appalling spectacle. (Turn into a Simple sentence.)
(5) The days passed peacefully at Basra, but I dreaded the prospect of transporting Mij to England. (Use ‘though’.)
(6) The British airline to London would not fly animals. (Turn into Affirmative.)
(7) I was quite unprepared for what followed. (Turn into Negative.)
Answer:
(1) Mosquitoes are not more common than otters in the Tigris marshes.
(2) People had to book the call twenty-four hours in advance at that time.
(3) For the first twenty-four hours, Mijbil was not either hostile or friendly.
(4) On my return, I saw an appalling spectacle.
(5) Though the days passed peacefully
at Basra, I dreaded the prospect of transporting Mij to England.
(6) The British airline to London would disallow flying animals.
(7) I was not quite prepared for what followed.
Mijbil the Otter Summary in English
Mijbil the Otter Introduction:
Gavin Maxwell (15 July, 1914-7 September, 1969) was a Scottish naturalist and author, best known for his non-fiction writing and his work with otters. He wrote the book Ring of Bright Water (1960) about how he brought an otter back from Iraq and raised it in Scotland. The otter was of a previously unknown sub-species which was subsequently named after Maxwell.
Mijbil the Otter Summary:
In this story the author Gavin Maxwell tells us about his pet. After the death of his dog, Jonnie, he thought to have another pet. Early in 1956 he travelled to Southern Iraq. He saw there some Arab people having an otter. Then, he also thought of having an otter. He told this to his friend. His mail was due; therefore, with- a friend he went to Basra to receive “his mail. His friend collected his mail and went away.
After he had left, he received a sack in which there was something. The sack was for the narrator and there was an otter in it. The narrator christened it, Mijbil. First the otter slept on the floor but soon he entered the bed till the servant bought tea. When it went to bathroom it plunged and rolled in the bathtub joyfully. The narrator was extremely surprised when he found it struggling with the water tap. It had learnt how to turn on the tap. It spent most dt its time playing with the rubber ball and marbles.
He was staying at Basra while he had to move to England and then to Camusfearna. But the problem was that some of the airlines did not allow transporting animals. Therefore, the narrator had to choose a different flight that allowed animals on board. As a result, Mijbil was packed in a box of its size. Then the narrator went for the meals. When he returned to his room, he noticed blood coming out from the air holes. He got frightened.
He hurriedly opened it and saw that Mij was almost unconscious. He removed all the sharp edges from the box and placed it again into the box. The time was passing and he managed to hire a taxi. There were only ten minutes in his flight. So he sat , at the back seat of the taxi and placed the box on his lap. Somehow he managed to catch the flight and he boarded the plane. The air hostess was somewhat friendly and she allowed the narrator to place the otter on his lap. But as soon as the narrator opened the box the otter disappeared in the plane. This frightened the passengers. But the airhostess helped him to find out Mij again.
In London people did not recognize otters. They used to make blind guesses to recognize the animal. The most surprising event was when the labourer who was digging a hole in the street. On seeing the animal, he placed down his tools and when the narrator neared him, he shouted, what is that supposed to be ?