diff --git a/pandas/core/generic.py b/pandas/core/generic.py
index f33b5746a29d3..c1964025eff26 100644
--- a/pandas/core/generic.py
+++ b/pandas/core/generic.py
@@ -3924,14 +3924,14 @@ def filter(self, items=None, like=None, regex=None, axis=None):
         Parameters
         ----------
         items : list-like
-            List of info axis to restrict to (must not all be present)
+            List of axis to restrict to (must not all be present).
         like : string
-            Keep info axis where "arg in col == True"
+            Keep axis where "arg in col == True".
         regex : string (regular expression)
-            Keep info axis with re.search(regex, col) == True
+            Keep axis with re.search(regex, col) == True.
         axis : int or string axis name
             The axis to filter on.  By default this is the info axis,
-            'index' for Series, 'columns' for DataFrame
+            'index' for Series, 'columns' for DataFrame.
 
         Returns
         -------
@@ -3939,26 +3939,25 @@ def filter(self, items=None, like=None, regex=None, axis=None):
 
         Examples
         --------
-        >>> df
-        one  two  three
-        mouse     1    2      3
-        rabbit    4    5      6
+        >>> df = pd.DataFrame(np.array(([1,2,3], [4,5,6])),
+        ...                   index=['mouse', 'rabbit'],
+        ...                   columns=['one', 'two', 'three'])
 
         >>> # select columns by name
         >>> df.filter(items=['one', 'three'])
-        one  three
+                 one  three
         mouse     1      3
         rabbit    4      6
 
         >>> # select columns by regular expression
         >>> df.filter(regex='e$', axis=1)
-        one  three
+                 one  three
         mouse     1      3
         rabbit    4      6
 
         >>> # select rows containing 'bbi'
         >>> df.filter(like='bbi', axis=0)
-        one  two  three
+                 one  two  three
         rabbit    4    5      6
 
         See Also