EUROPE. 73. Surface of Europe. Europe lies west of Asia. tops of some of the peaks are buried in snow and ice all the year. Long rivers of ice creep down the sides of the mountains, and melt, The greater part of southwest Europe con- thus forming. beautiful streams and lakes. sists of low plateaus and high ranges. This region is known as High Europe. In summer, herds of cattle and flocks of goats feed on the high slopes, but as the snowcap widens on the ranges, the animals are driven into the lower valleys. High Europe is cut off from southwest Asia by the Black sea and Low Hurope includes the vast plains that lie north and northeast of High Europe. _ Where is the Swiss highland? Where are the Alps? The Swiss plateau is low, but the ranges that rise above it are high and rocky. The Alps are famous for their beauty. The eee its outlet. A very old myth tells of a pretty maid, named Io, who was changed into a heifer, to conceal her from an angry goddess. Io swam the strait that forms the outlet of the Black sea. The strait took its name from this story, for the word Bosporus means heifer’s ford. At its narrowest part, the strait of Bosporus is only a few hundred feet wide. The great city of Constantinople is built near this strait.