2 IO 
SCENERY OF SWITZERLAND. 
upon us, that, incredible as it must at first sight 
appear, even the greatest river valleys, though their 
origin may be due to the original form of the sur- 
face, owe their present configuration mainly to the 
action of rain and rivers. 
Note . — Throughout western Europe a large pro- 
portion of the river names fall. into three groups. 
From the Old German Aha, Celtic Uisge, Gaelic 
Oich, Latin Aqua (Water), softened into the French 
Eau, we have the Aa, Awe, Au, Avon, Aue, Ouse, 
Oise, Grand Eau, Aubonne, Oich, Ock, Aach, Esk, 
Uisk, etc. 
From the Celtic Dwr (Greek vdcog), we have 
Oder, Adour, Thur, Dora, Douro, Doire, Durance, 
Dranse, Doveria, etc. 
From the Celtic Rhin, or Rhedu, to run (Greek 
geco), we have the Rhine, Rhone, Reuss, Reno, Rye, 
Ray, Raz, etc. 
The names Aa and Drance or Dranse are so 
common in Switzerland that it is necessary to specify 
them by some further description, such as the Engel- 
berger Aa, the Aa of Alpnach, the Milch Aa, Hall- 
wyler Aa, Waggithaler Aa, etc. 
The Drance which falls into the Lake of Geneva 
near Thonon is perhaps the Drance par excellence, 
