IF there is one similarity between a grey squirrel and a weasel, it is that neither of them has any road sense. Quite heedless of oncoming traffic, they will dart on to the road from the security of the verge and very sadly many get killed. I have no statistics to confirm numbers of these deaths; I am merely relying upon my own observations. If there is any benefit from this carnage, it is that the sad little road-kill carcases provide food for a wide range of other wild creatures.

The different between a weasel and a stoat is one of those topics that continue to arise in my correspondence and during discussions. I’ve referred to it in this column several times, the last occasion being some four years ago. While it is easy to distinguish a weasel from a grey squirrel, some of us find difficulty identifying a weasel from its larger cousin, the stoat. I am tempted to quote the old saying: “A weasel is weasily recognised but a stoat is stoatally different.”

The weasel is our smallest carnivore but its tiny size does not detract from its ferocity.

It is a member of a large group of cousins, including stoats, mink, polecats, pine martens, ferrets and otters, the otter being the largest. All have long, sinuous bodies that can appear almost snake-like because they all have rather short legs.

The weasel is by far the smallest, being rather like an elongated mouse with a somewhat bushy but short tail. It is around eight inches long with a two-inch tail and its colouring is mouse-like, being a warm tan or light brown with white under parts. It feeds on small animals like mice and voles but will tackle larger prey like young rabbits or birds.

It is also said a weasel will tackle prey larger than itself such as a rat which it kills quickly with a bite to the neck. Not surprisingly, farmers welcome weasels onto their property because they help to keep down pests – each weasel kills hundreds of mice in the course of a year. Every weasel has its own territory, the area of which depends upon the food available, but they will also invade birds’ nests and even nest boxes. Their small size means they can enter through the tiniest of holes, and, of course, they are very capable climbers.

For those who have difficulty distinguishing a weasel from its cousin, the stoat, I will say they are comparable in appearance and their habitat is virtually the same.

The tiny size of the weasel is one important clue – a weasel is a wee animal! The colouring of the two is very similar although the larger, squirrel-sized stoat is perhaps a little darker and its tail has a very prominent black tip. That black tip is another important clue.

A male stoat is about 12 or more inches long (including its tail) but the female is much smaller and it is probably she, or perhaps her large family of youngsters, who are frequently confused with the weasel. That black tip to the tail is the most prominent difference, even on the young ones. A family of five or six baby stoats will often remain together to play and hunt as a group along with their parents.

Both weasels and stoats have been heavily persecuted in the past, particularly by gamekeepers who were concerned about the eggs and chicks of ground-nesting birds. This constant attack upon these savage predators does not appear to have diminished their numbers and they remain plentiful in our countryside.

However, stoats have a special trick of their very own.

In severe winter conditions their fur turns white, sometimes completely and sometimes partially although in all cases they retain that distinguished black tip to their tails. During mild winters this dramatic change is rarely seen in our part of the world but it can happen on occasions and I am told it is a regular occurrence in the Highlands of Scotland.

The colour change is a form of camouflage, making stoats barely visible against a background of snow.

White stoats are known as ermine and in the past, they were hunted so that their white fur could be fashioned into clothing. The erminetrimmed robes of members of the House of Lords are examples of this practice, and even today, the black tips of their tails can be seen in ermine trimmings.

Perhaps the most attractive member of the weasel family is the pine marten, once very rare due to heavy persecution by gamekeepers but now making a spirited return in some afforested areas. About the size of a domestic cat with a long bushy tail, it has dark brown fur, a creamy-yellow throat and matching ears. You’d never mistake this handsome character for a stoat or a weasel.

IHAVE received a great deal of correspondence during the last few days and most of it has come from Wensleydale, although one writer now lives in Darlington, having spent some of his young life in Wensleydale.

One reader from West Witton refers to my notes about the lack of the dawn chorus (D&S Times, May 31) and has sent some brief but telling figures about our weather – which is thought to have affected the birds and their breeding season.

In January, snow fell on only six days, with a further two days of mixed snow and rain. By comparison in March, there were ten days of snow and a further six of mixed snow and rain. That alone gives us some idea of what our normal springtime had to tolerate and might explain the lack of bird song at dawn in the early weeks of spring.

The same correspondent has noted that the dawn chorus was not really apparent until the middle two weeks of May, but when it did begin, it was at the hour it would normally be expected at dawn.

He has sent me another interesting snippet. Some of us will have travelled along the A684 between Leyburn and Hawes, and will have passed through the tiny community of Worton. He reminds me of the Second World War when the need for extra supplies of metal was vital for the war effort and so in 1940-41, the Government commandeered most of our domestic iron railings as scrap metal. I can remember that happening – houses in my own village suddenly found themselves without their rails, but apparently a householder in Worton held out against that practice.

I do not know how he was able to defy the Government, but he did so and proudly painted his railings red. They remained in position until March this year when they were partially demolished, apparently by a passing vehicle. It is a sad end to the railings because my information was that they had not then been replaced.

Oddly enough, I drove though Worton at the end of April en route to Windermere, but did not notice that damage My other correspondence from Wensleydale (and Darlington) concerns black rabbits, but a shortage of space means I shall refer to that topic next week.