The island of Corfu, where the Durrell family live in agreeable chaos, is paradise for aspiring naturalist Gerald. His battalion of creatures has grown to include eleven puppies, a toad named Deirdre and an unwelcome infestation of scorpions. Yet the human visitors to their sun-drenched villa are even more curious, whether an innocent pair of American painters ripe for practical jokes, or a supercilious Count who barely survives an outing on Gerald's home-made boat, the Bootle-Bumtrinket. The third volume in the Corfu Trilogy brings this glorious tale of halcyon days to a close.