Sir, - In the Nicholas Rhea column last week, I noted the request for information about the Dales phraseology for Coverdale. I was born in Marske in Swaledale and lived there among generations of farmers, until we moved to Carthorpe near Bedale. When I married we moved to Crayke, almost on Mr Rhea's doorstep.

The reason I give you this spiel is that I can't find a lot of difference in the phraseology. We always referred to Coverdale as Coverdill, similarly Arkengarthdale was Arkendill. We were always led to understand that this came with the Vikings.

Being descended from generations of lead miners at Hurst in Swaledale and often seeing quotations from mine owners' documents, may I quote one sale of mining rights: "To include CB, Hurst and Arkendill". Another instance is the word Gunnerside, usually referred to locally as Gunnersit, this being the heart allocated to Gunner or Gunner's seat.

While living at Carthorpe and playing for its cricket team, we played Cover Bridge across the road from the Cover Bridge Inn in the Hawkes Cup, run from Masham.

T H HODGSON

Rookery Lane,

Crayke.

Ancestors

Sir, - The greylag goose is not descended from domestic farmyard geese, as asserted by Nicholas Rhea and pictured in Countryman's Diary (D&S, Feb 15). In fact, the opposite is true: the greylag is the ancestor of the familiar white farmyard goose and considered to be at least the chief ancestor of most of the world's domesticated breeds of geese.

Once the only goose that bred in Britain, it lagged behind when other species migrated, hence its name. The greylag produces white offspring "sports" and the earliest goose-raisers probably retained only the white birds for their flocks. Greylags were recorded in Mesopotamia in 2400 BC and in 1600 BC in Egypt, according to a bas-relief carving, one was presented to Queen Hatshepsut (along with a pelican).

BRIAN CLARK

Drake House,

Husthwaite.

Editor's note: Our apologies to Nicholas Rhea. Mr Rhea's sentence was re-written in the sub-editing process. His original point was as Mr Clark describes.

Space enterprise

Sir, - I was delighted to hear that the intellectual giants at Richmondshire District Council are considering moving to a new home.

Perhaps they should seriously consider the newly emptied Station Building (ex-garden centre). There would be plenty of space in these buildings for RDC, and no doubt they could find lots of things to "improve", ie pointlessly squander money on, as they moved in. After all, they must get rid of the extortionate council tax rise somehow.

They would have the benefit of ample car parking, so that no doubt they would, quick as a flash, release their privileged car park in Station Road for use by the general public, thereby encouraging more people to come in to the town.

Or am I being facetious?

D LAMONT

High Garth,

Richmond.

Lack of wardens

Sir, - I hope you will permit me to use your columns to draw the attention of the Richmondshire electorate to the long delay by the district council in the replacement of the warden vacancy which has now reached an unendurable stage.

When the wardens (peripatetic) were reduced in number from five to four, the result was that in the Wensleydale area, the warden had almost 200 aged participants on her book.

Now, with the number reduced to three - and no sign of any replacement - that position must be a good deal worse, for three wardens are supposed to also cover the other area.

This is not the kind of care I encouraged when I brought about the adoption of the service, which the Life Line Fund was designed, also by me, to assist.

It is pertinent now to ask publicly if the present district councillors are aware of this situation and if they were elected to serve all the people, and also if they really care?

When I established the Life Line Fund 14 years ago - it grew to have 122 units, all provided by Richmondshire people - to help those who could not genuinely afford the full costs entailed.

That fund was, at that time, controlled by seven representatives of all the associations and parishes which had provided it, but as I was forced for medical reasons to withdraw in 1996, I an now unaware of who the replacements are. I am, however, acutely aware, that at the age of 93 I still look after myself in my own home - and that the district council should be doing its utmost to enable the growing number of the aged in Richmondshire to do so as long as possible.

It certainly should not be cutting staff in this essential area which is what I suspect it is at present trying to do - somewhat effectively.

In conclusion may I ask the people of Richmondshire if they were told of such a policy at the time of the last election?

JOHN WOODRAW

Anna's Garth,

Harmby