16 ON THE ROMAN MILITARY ROAD 
serving through several fields before us, a belt of 
mole hills extending in a perfectly straight line, 
in the very direction of the line which we were 
endeavouring to trace—and singular enough when 
we came upon this belt, we found it to cover the 
whole area of the Roman road; which through 
the meadows here was very evident, the substra- 
tum of which furnished a dry road through wet 
ground for the moles then, as it formerly did for 
the Romans. We also noticed in these meadows 
a drain here and there made, which terminated at 
the margin of the road, either because they found 
the road dry enough; or as is also probable, be- 
cause they found it no easy matter to cut through 
it, since heaps of stones in some places seemed to 
suggest a relinquishment of labour on account of 
the obstacles they offered. Crossing the lane to 
the farm of Higher Waves, the remains are very 
striking. While passing down the adjoining field 
which had been just drained, (and the line of 
Roman road as well also), the drains gave us a 
plain indication where it ran across the fields. Near 
Lower Waves, and directly forward up to Rams- 
grave, the line is easily traceable. The premises 
at Ramsgrave stand upon the road, which in the 
yard and near the outbuildings, is, as usual in such 
situations, remarkably evident. At this point, the 
