ANIMAL HUSBANDRY

The old ``let's just be friends'' routine breaks a TV talk- show talent scout's heart, but when opportunity knocks, she recovers enough to assume the infinitely more satisfying role of masked avenger: a wisecracking and wonderful romantic comedy, a first from exNew York book publicist Zigman. With a name like Jane Goodall, interest in animal behavior might seem preordained, but this Jane's life is taken up entirely with booking A-list guests for the hot, new late-night show on public television. Taken up, that is, until the show's producer comes along, with his washboard stomach and tales of woe about his man-hating vegetarian fiancÇe—and until Jane finds herself hopelessly in love. For a while the attraction seems mutual, but soon after suggesting to Jane that they live together, and just after she's given up her apartment, Washboard Ray goes to ground, and nothing she can do will flush him back into communication with her. The despair of the jilted casts its usual pall over her life, but her new living arrangement, a share with the show's leading Lothario, awakens her scientific curiosity, and she begins to study the behavior of her apartment-mate with an eye toward understanding male-mating imperatives. Voracious reading and lonely hours pondering give her the answer, the New-Cow theory: A bull mates eagerly with a new cow, but then refuses to do so the second time around—only a new cow will do. Jane deepens her investigation in the spirit of pure empiricism, but when there's a chance to go public, very public, with her findings, washboard memories and a crusader's zeal fire her up with spectacular results. Zinging alone with deadeye depictions of men on the make as accurate as smart bombs, this is a riot to read—and also happens to make a great deal of sense.