A Frog on the Wall: Stories of a Zoologist

19 hrs. 33 min.

Miscellaneous

Language Russian

Author Vladimir Babenko

Narrator Leonid Derkach

Description

The author of the book “Frog on the Wall,” Vladimir Babenko, is a professional zoologist who worked for a long time at Lomonosov Moscow State University (now he teaches at MPGU). During his long field assignments, he had to observe the widest variety of animals. However, this book is not only about frogs, birds, and beasts. In expeditions, zoologists also meet people—foresters, gamekeepers, hunting experts, fishermen, poachers, and other wanderers. Such encounters are usually connected with extraordinary personalities, with interesting events, with unexpected adventures. So to speak, this is a side product of expedition work—impressions that have only an indirect relation to zoology. Based on these, the author wrote the book, showing the work of a rare specialty—field zoologists—and telling what happens to them during travels.

Scientific work of zoologists is discussed in monographs, books, articles, theses, and reports. But how this material was gathered and what remains “behind the scenes” is known to only a few. And this, too, is what the book “Frog on the Wall” is about. Some of the stories are funny, others sad, still others dramatic. In general, as happens in expeditions—and in ordinary life as well.