Mean and Lowly Things

Harvard-educated herpetologist, Kate Jackson set up her tent in a pygmy village, along with a cook and guide, and went to collect Central African snakes, lizards and frogs - many of which had never before been identified or catalogued. In a delightful style that reads like great fiction, Jackson describes her struggles to learn Central African customs, overcome the labyrinthine bureaucracy there, fit huge cobras into small backpacks and convince the locals that she is a scientist and not a witch. Jackson's original goal was to write a scientific guide to the snakes of the Congo, but her experience taught her much more. Readers will enjoy the colourful characters they meet, the many varieties of snake, and the author - a woman as funny and brave as she is adventurous.