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David Quammen, in Natural Acts (Avon Books, $11, ISBN 0 380 71738 7),
mixes natural history with determined humour. These essays, all originating out
of his preference for asking questions, rather than providing answers, are so
breezy that they sometimes risk being irritating. We never find out, for
example, what the merits of the mosquito are, or if crows are too intelligent.
But anyone who puts in an admiring word for cockroaches can never be boring.