Uncle Ben tells stories

Holly tells the others what happened on the ill-fated mission to bring does from the big warren...

'Watership Down', Chapter 27

Fiver dreams of Hazel, and launches a rescue mission...

'Watership Down' by Richard Adams

Hazel leads a dangerous mission back to Nuthanger Farm to free the hutch rabbits...

'Watership Down' by Richard Adams

Part One, Chapter 1: The Noticeboard

Adams includes footnotes at the end of each chapter, explaining key terms in the world of the rabbits.

Fiver's name:
1. Rabbits can count up to four. Any number above four is hrair—“a lot,” or “a thousand.” Thus they say  U Hrair—“The Thousand”—to mean, collectively, all the enemies (or elil, as they call them) of rabbits—fox, stoat, weasel, cat, owl, man, etc. There  were probably more than five rabbits in the litter when Fiver was born, but his name, Hrairoo, means “Little Thousand”—i.e., the little one of a lot or, as they say of  pigs, “the runt.” 

The 'Owsla'

2. Nearly all warrens have an Owsla, or group of strong or clever rabbits—second-year or older—surrounding the Chief Rabbit  and his doe and exercising authority. Owslas vary. In one warren, the Owsla may be the band of a warlord: in another, it may consist largely of clever patrollers or garden-raiders. Sometimes a good  storyteller may find a place; or a seer, or intuitive rabbit. In the Sandleford warren at this time, the Owsla was rather military in character (though, as will be seen later, not so military as  some).

'Watership Down' by Richard Adams

Whilst Holly and Silver look for the big warren, Hazel and Fiver set off on an adventure of their own...

'Watership Down', by Richard Adams