FURTIVE FAUNA by Roger M. Knutson...

FURTIVE FAUNA by Roger M. Knutson (Penguin: $8, illustrated). This cheery introduction to some of the parasites that live on Homo sapiens confirms Augustus de Morgan’s popular verse about great fleas having “little fleas upon their backs to bite ‘em.” Knutson describes a variety of revolting little creatures that range from relatively large house flies and bedbugs to the microscopic mites that inhabit the follicles of individual eyebrow hairs. Although the text may inspire squeamish readers to search for virulently pesticidal soaps and shampoos, it serves as a sly reminder that humans are just a part of nature’s web, acting as hosts to creatures that feed upon them as they feed upon others.