Six legs good

May Berenbaum is an entomologist. Not such a rare profession, but she also
writes a humorous column about life among the bugs. That is rare. Best dipped
into, rather than read as a whole, Buzzwords will open up a world new
to most of us. Who, for example, would search for a superhero modelled on a
tick, and worry about the species? Spiderman is, of course, on her list.
Berenbaum also collects species names: a midge called Dicrotendipes
thanatogratus, a wasp called Townesilitus, a series of bugs named
Ochisme, Polychisme and so on. Published by Joseph Henry Press,
$24.95, ISBN 0309068355.…