THOSE of us interested in the folk stories of this region will be delighted and intrigued by the news that remains of a hitherto unknown type of human have been discovered on a remote Indonesian island. So remarkable is this discovery that the history of the human race will have to be re-written.

The creature, known as homo floresiensis, is a miniature human, but not a pygmy. Standing only 3ft tall (about 1m), its brain was a mere quarter of the size of a modern human and it is known to have inhabited Flores, the island where the skeleton was found, until some 20,000 years ago.

The first of the skeletons discovered was that of an adult woman, and as I write these notes, a further six have been found to the great excitement of scientists.

Bearing in mind that homo sapiens (that's us) have been around for 160,000 years or so, it follows that the two species of human must have encountered one another at some time. Indeed, it is known that homo sapiens lived on the island of Flores about 45,000 years ago, but how the two species reacted to one another is uncertain.

What did survive, however, were legends of little people who lived on Flores. These were generally dismissed as nothing more than fairy stories or legends, but now it seems they had a strong factual base. Those stories were still being told on Flores until about 100 years ago.

What is interesting is that we in the northern hemisphere also have stories of little people. In Ireland they are called leprechauns, in Scotland and some parts of North-East England they are called brownies, in Norway they are trolls or nisse, in Germany they are called kobolds, in Holland redcaps and in Sweden the torntgubbe.

In the North York Moors they are known as hobs, while in other areas they are variously known as elves, fairies, hobbits or goblins, but tales of their exploits are remarkably similar.

At Hilton Castle in County Durham, for example, there was a brownie who worked for the resident family who was extremely good at keeping the castle tidy.

If anyone else tidied up, the brownie would grow extremely angry and throw things around in a fit of temper. Eventually, the other servants became fed up with his antics and put out a nice green cloak for him. This was the traditional means of asking him to leave, so he did.

There are similar stories about the hobs of the North York Moors. Several hobs lived in and around the moors and all were described as elf-like fellows with long, shaggy, brown hair which covered the entire body.

They worked naked and hated clothes, being offended if clothing was offered. Hobs were solitary creatures who worked on farms. They were very strong and wonderfully skilled at most tasks, such as hay-making, tending the animals, tidying the premises, shearing sheep and ditching, but no-one saw them at work. They insisted on working in secret at night, their only reward being a jug of cream left in the barn. If anyone was too kind to them, or even not kind enough, the hob would not work and might even become mischievous, like the Hilton Castle brownie.

There is a tale of the Hart Hall Hob at Glaisdale who worked hard for the benefit of the farmer, but one night a farm lad heard him at work and peeped through a hole in the barn door. He saw the little fellow thrashing with a flail, but because he was naked other than a rough sark or working shirt, the lad thought he needed some clothes.

The family decided to give him a hessian shirt with a belt around the middle and placed it in the barn. The little fellow was offended, saying he never wore clothes and must never accept a gift.

His words were: "Gin hob mun hae nowt but a hardin hamp, he'll curn nae mair, nowther to berry nor stamp." Hardin hamp is a rough working shirt, berry means to thresh and stamp means to knock off the heads of barley prior to threshing it.

There were more hobs in the moors such as Cross Hob of Lastingham, Hob of Hasty Bank in Bilsdale, Dale Town Hob of Hawnby, Hodge Hob of Bransdale, the Scugdale Hob, the Goathland Hob of Howl Moor and others whose activities live on in place-names such as Hob Green, Hob Dale, Hob Garth and Hob's Cave. But were those little brown men real people? In far away Sumatra, there is the legend of the orang pendek (the little man), who was 3ft tall and covered with dark brown hair except for his face, but he needed tobacco in order to keep him happy. He sounds remarkably like our hobs.

In wondering whether our own little people existed years ago, we ponder the fact that the stories are still being told. But where, how and why did they start? Flores might have the answer.

I have received two notes from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), one concerning our garden birds and the other about the need to conserve our owl population.

So far as our garden birds are concerned, October 30 was Feed the Birds Day when the RSPB asked people to fill a feeder and provide birds with food. This is supported by the BTO, who have also asked for people to count the birds which visit their gardens throughout the year. The count, which is leisurely enough to be done from the kitchen window or lounge chairs, provides a first-rate survey of the state of our garden birds.

If you want to know more about this scheme, write to Garden Bird Watch, BTO, FREEPOST, Norfolk IP24 2BR or ring 01842 750050. You can also visit the web site at www.bto.org/gbw.

As winter approaches, the natural food sources of our small garden birds become scarcer and there is no doubt many of them have an immense struggle to survive. The provision of suitable food and water, coupled with good hygiene practices, can make a real difference to the over-winter survival of many species.

There is no doubt that during November and throughout the winter, our gardens get much busier with visiting birds. This increase is partly due to the influx of winter visitors from Scandinavia and Central Europe and is also due to the drop in temperature, shorter days and dwindling food sources. Our own bird feeders are already in position and, although very few birds came to them during the first few days, that number is now increasing almost by the hour. Among the first were blue tits, greenfinches and house sparrows.

The second BTO note concerns the plight of our owl population. Because owls are largely nocturnal, it is difficult to know precisely how they are coping with life in today's Britain. It is known, however, that most of our five species are at risk in some way. The barn owl and short-eared owl are already registered as being of high concern due to the reduction in numbers, little is known about the state of the tawny owl and long-eared owl because they are poorly monitored, while the little owl is very susceptible to changes in agricultural practices. In an attempt to gain accurate data on our owls, the BTO is asking that people with large gardens, or access to woodland or farmland, place nest boxes for tawny owls and barn owls.

Next year, BTO will be asking people to help with a tawny owl survey and there is also going to be an appeal to raise funds for the Owl Appeal. Huge sums are needed and further details can be obtained from the BTO Owl Appeal, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk IP24 2PU (01842 750050).

Some good news on the wildlife front is that pine martens are thought to have returned to woodland on the edge of the North York Moors near Northallerton. Several sightings have convinced experts that these ferret-like animals are staging a comeback when most authorities regarded them as extinct across most of Britain. In the past, they were very common, even to the point of being regarded as a pest, but their numbers declined rapidly as they were trapped for their fur or killed because they took chickens and game birds.

Last century, few were thought to exist except in the wilds of Scotland, so are they really back? Time will tell.